A group of Mallorcan subscribers have embarked on a trip to Menorca to discover the secrets of the port of Maó.
From the Colársega of Maó to the hermitage of San Juan de los Vergers: a route to discover the secrets of its port
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The route has started in the Plaza de la Constitució, in front of the town hall, a vestige of how the city of Mahón has developed around its imposing port of more than six kilometers in length.
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Within the port of Maó we find four islands, two of them natural and the other two are artificial.
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King's Island is one of the natural islands. It is named so because it was the first place where King Alfonso III set foot in 1287 when he arrived in Menorca to conquer the island from the Muslims.
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During British rule, it was called 'Bloody Island' because it served as a military hospital. The facility remained in operation until the mid-20th century.
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Lazareto Island is the largest. It was formerly the San Felipe peninsula, which was artificially separated during the 19th century to create an islet and use it as a quarantine station.
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Pinto Island was once a small islet, which was artificially filled in and transformed into a military arsenal. The smallest islet is the quarantine islet, formerly a quarantine station in the port, which later also served military purposes.
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The first time the Americans opened a base abroad was in Mahón in the 19th century to avoid the problems they had with maritime traffic with Algeria and Tunisia.
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Richard Kane was the first governor of Menorca. A great reformer of the city and its transportation infrastructure, he is the namesake of the Kane Way, which crosses the island.
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Kane carried out the desiccation of the colársega in the orchards of the vergeles for health reasons and to convert them into profitable crops. In the past, you could reach almost the hermitage of Sant Joan by boat.
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The hermitage of San Juan de los Vergers is where the troops of King Alfonso III rested when he conquered Menorca.
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The city of Mahón was walled and you can still see where the wall passed within the city
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We ended the day with a group dinner all together.