The Old Curiosity Tower: The towers of Alcúdia Bay

The towers of Alcúdia Bay, those which stretch from Playa de Muro to Colonia Sant Pere, are undergoing a process of restoration, courtesy of the regional government's environment ministry. Though the towers are said to have "limited heritage value", the ministry believes that they are "curious constructions"; it is their curiosity that demands their being maintained. One can argue, and I would, that their heritage value is rather greater than the government says; they are notable, weird landmarks that don't exist anywhere else on the island. The very brooding nature of these obelisks, standing as pairs amidst the dunes, lends them a mystery. The curious thing about these curiosities is quite why so little is known about them.

By the dunes along the coastline of the bay, there are signs which explain aspects of the natural environment, but none which give any information about the most obvious sights in the dunes. The failure to impart information is a failure in terms of not only overlooking what is under the tourist's nose but also what might (and does) inspire the tourist's curiosity - the curious.

In HOT!, the tourism newspaper that is out and about in the area, there is a short feature about the towers, as there is also a feature about the roundabout sculptures. The towers and the sculptures are not what is normally spoken about in the tourism literature, yet they inspire visitor (and resident) questions, for which there are few answers. It is for this reason that I sought to give some answers. Someone should.

The towers, and anyone who has read HOT! will now know, were built primarily as target practice for dummy torpedoes being fired from submarines that used to be based in Alcúdia. But very few people locally know this to be the case. That they were also navigational aids is true, but this was not why they were built. They were definitely not anything to do with the Civil War, but the other day, when I was showing a copy of HOT! to a lady who runs businesses based out of Can Picafort (and who is Mallorcan), she said something to the effect that they were to do with the war. Even locals who have lived their lives by the towers don't know the real story.

Perhaps it all has to do with that feeling that the towers are of limited heritage value that so little appreciation exists as to their real purpose. But it astounds me just how little is made of the curious, the needing-to-be-explained, like the sculptures, like also the kiwi-fruit-shaped balls that accumulate on the beaches. I only found out what they were thanks to Klaus's Photo Blog (they are formed from sea grass).

The towers might be said to be part of a "hidden" Mallorca. Hidden in the sense that information is hidden. But they are staring everyone in the face. They are hardly hidden. And there are numerous other examples, including the curiosity of some villages. It's another book coming on - the curios of Mallorca. I look forward to its being written, and maybe I will.


Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.