Talayotic village for sale in Menorca. The Sotheby’s agency, which specializes in luxury investments, has put up for sale the village of Binissafullet, in the municipality of Sant Lluís, a prehistoric site of about 6,000 square meters that was in use between the 10th century before Christ and ‘Roman period, although there are also remains from the Islamic period which indicate that it could have been inhabited until the medieval period. The price? 950,000 euros.
Is it possible to sell a Talayotic village on an island that has entered the Unesco world heritage list precisely because of this type of deposits? The answer is yes. The village that is for sale is located on privately owned land that can be sold, even though it is unbuildable and the heritage works are considered assets of cultural interest (BIC), the maximum level of protection heritage of the island.
Joana Gual, technician from the Department of Culture of the Council of Mallorca, explains that Menorca has dated and cataloged throughout the island more than 300 areas with talaiot and an even greater number of remains of villages that do not have these tall megalithic constructions heritage value In the case of what has gone up for sale, he assures that it is not part of the definitive list of world heritage sites because there are other villages with more value and, moreover, its environment and its landscape have been greatly altered by the action of the ‘man.
Gual explains that all these remains are privately owned and there is only half an area of ??these remains that is publicly owned, which is why, in the case of Binissafullet, nothing prevents it from being sold. He specifies that the possible buyer of the land and the archaeological remains will have to maintain the protection regime, but the care of the heritage will be taken care of by the Council, which finances maintenance activities in sites similar to the one for sale, where ‘has previously intervened, as is the case.
The village includes one of the characteristic Menorcan tables, which is the central element of the site, and which was hoisted and restored in the nineties. Joana Gual explains that, until then, the entire site was covered with vegetation and, when the excavations were carried out, the table was discovered, which had been demolished. He assures that it is a construction of some interest, but that it cannot match the great deposits that exist on the world-famous island.
There is also a hypostyle room in the enclosure, a piece equipped at the time with columns, as well as dwellings or remains of silos. The site had remains of amphorae, from the Punic period, which contained wine. The presence of fire in the table enclosure indicates that there were rituals related to the fertility of animals, the countryside and people, as detailed on the Menorca Talaiòtica website.
One of Sotheby’s communications managers, Cristina Rodríguez Tapia, acknowledges that this is one of the most “exceptional” properties they have offered in the catalog to date. “Menorca stands out for its wealth of unique and singular properties, especially this Talayotic town”, he adds. On the company’s website, it is pointed out that the release of this heritage to the market represents “an unrepeatable opportunity” for a private collector interested in acquiring “a prehistoric architectural gem” very representative of the island of Menorca and at the same time own “an exceptional site for the organization of private cultural events”.
When Cristina Rodríguez Tapia is asked what is the profile of a customer who may be interested in spending almost a million euros to have an asset of these characteristics, she refers to the idea that is listed on the website. “We believe this property represents an exceptional opportunity for true art, culture and history enthusiasts,” he says. He assures that the profile of the company’s customers includes “those who appreciate Menorca and everything to do with its history, art and culture”.
For now, it is not known whether the Menorca Council will make any offer for the acquisition of this village, something that seems unlikely both for the price and for the specific characteristics of the site. If it ends up in the hands of a buyer, the town of Binissafullet will join the long list of centuries-old heritage on the island that has been handed down in recent years and that has essentially ended up in the hands of foreigners, who are those who have the financial resources to be able to deal with these purchases.
