Fornells is a village located in a

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

in the north of the

Balearic island The Balearic Islands ( es, Islas Baleares ; or ca, Illes Balears ) are an archipelago in the Balearic Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago is an autonomous community and a province of Spain; its capital is ...

Menorca Menorca or Minorca (from la, Insula Minor, , smaller island, later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Majorca. Its capi ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Fornells is estimated to have a population of about 1000 people which increases in the summer due to tourism. Fornells' native people are known as ''Fornellers'' in the

Catalan language Catalan (; autonym: , ), known in the Valencian Community and Carche as ''Valencian'' (autonym: ), is a Western Romance language. It is the official language of Andorra, and an official language of three autonomous communities in eastern Spa ...

and in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

History

The village was founded to serve a small defensive watch tower, built at the beginning of the 17th century as a defence against the

Barbary pirates The Barbary pirates, or Barbary corsairs or Ottoman corsairs, were Muslim pirates and privateers who operated from North Africa, based primarily in the ports of Salé, Rabat, Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli, Libya, Tripoli. This area was known i ...

for whom Fornells Bay provided the perfect safe haven. This watch tower proved to be insufficient, so in 1625 King Phillip IV of Spai
ordered a castle to be added
This project was not successful due to lack of funds. In 1637 the building project was recommenced as the castle of Sant Antoni. During construction, a small village was formed around the castle, occupied by construction workers and soldiers, this village becoming the basis of modern-day Fornells. During the 18th century the castle was held alternately by the British and French, before returning to Spanish dominion in 1782.

King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

of Spain then ordered the partial destruction of the castle and all that is left of the military past of Fornells is the

watch tower A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to ...

on the headland, outside the village. From there to the west Cavallería Cape can be seen, and to the east the massive bulk of Sa Mola, forming the eastern side of the entrance. In 1798 the village was a landing site during the Capture of Menorca by the British.

Location

Fornells Bay is deep, measuring 5 kilometres long and 2 kilometres wide. The narrow entrance regulates the force of the open sea. Sufficiently narrow to offer protection, the entrance allows water to enter the bay while restricting the waves. The wind is not so easily restrained. The surrounding hills are not high enough to keep out the

Tramontane Tramontane ( ) ; french: tramontane ; el, τραμουντάνα, tramountána, ; it, tramontana ; la, trānsmontānus ; mt, tramuntana ; sl, tramontana ; sh, tramontana ; es, link=no, tramontana . is a classical name for a northern wind ...

(''Tramontana'' in

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

), which has shaped the rocks and bent the trees over until the branches almost touch the ground.''Rough Guide Mallorca and Menorca'' Phil Lee - 2004 - Page 235 "Fornells has no beach to speak of apart from a tiny patch of sand in front of Sa Nansa restaurant, round the corner from the main square. There is, however, o a long strip of sand 1.5km back down the access road beside the Ses Salines "

Fishing village

Fornells' natural harbour is filled with llauts, the traditional Menorcan fishing craft, used for fishing

lobsters Lobsters are a family (Nephropidae, synonym Homaridae) of marine crustaceans. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs have claws, including the first pair, ...

Tourist Activities

Having several small beaches around the bay, the harbour offers a number of aquatic activities for tourists, includin
boat tripscatamaran excursionskayakingwindsurfing
an
catamaran tour menorca
The annua
fiesta de Sant Antoni
is held on the fourth weekend in July.

References

External links

Virtual tour through FornellsFornells' bay webcam
{{Coord, 40, 03, 20, N, 4, 07, 50, E, region:ES_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title Geography of Menorca