The Consell de Mallorca and the Town Hall of Sóller have signed a collaboration agreement in the use and management of the Torre Picada, one of the most important examples of the defensive system of Mallorca and classified as an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC) . As the island institution reports in a press release, the agreement aims to disseminate the heritage, historical and artistic values of the Torre Picada and all of the defenses.
Thus, the Consell will be in charge of the conservation of the monument and the investments necessary to open it to the public, while the Consistory will coordinate its management, its daily maintenance and its visits, which will take place on the first Friday of each month.
For example, it is planned that in the coming days the iron railing and the door will be cleaned, as well as the tank hatch will be repaired.
The agreement was signed this Monday by the island’s Minister of Finance and Civil Service, Rafel Bosch, and the mayor of Sóller, Miquel Nadal. In addition to being BIC cataloged, the Torre Picada is held in high esteem for being a key element of the Firó.
The Torre Picada is part of a vast signaling and surveillance system for the entire Mallorcan coast. Construction began in 1614 and was completed in 1622. This date is still engraved at the entrance to the tower.
The system operated with fire and smoke signals. When a threat appeared at sea, fires were lit, depending on the number of ships seen. This signal moved from tower to tower, since each could see the next one (currently, only the northern one is visible from Torre Picada).
The final signal reached the Angel Tower, located in the Royal Palace of La Almudaina in Palma. Once the alert was given, each population organized itself to face the threat and prepare for any problem.
The pointed tower consists of two stories with vaulted ceilings and a flat roof that serves as a terrace.
Torre Picada is part of different marked hiking routes in the municipality of Sóller and its surroundings have remained accessible, which has made this point a popular place that It has also been included in the family itineraries of the Consell de Mallorca and is part of the European project Cherish Interreg Europe, an interregional project aimed at improving natural and cultural heritage policies.
