To the origins
You may not have known it, but the history of Ibiza is thousands of years old, as evidenced by the fascinating site of Sa Caleta, where the remains of stone buildings from the very first settlement established by the Phoenicians in 650 BC remain. The layout of the remains of ovens and other stone mills suggests a city whose space was organized in a reasoned way according to the functions assigned. In parallel, the Phoenicians also built impressive necropolises testifying to very elaborate funeral rites. The Punic necropolis of Puig des Molins is the largest in the world. On nearly 50,000 square meters, you can discover thousands of tombs dug into the rock, a type of tomb called hypogeum. These two legendary sites are now classified as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. But the island is also home to other interesting sites, such as the Cava des Culleram, a cave used as a refuge since prehistoric times and transformed by the Carthaginians into a sanctuary of the goddess Tanit. At Ses Paisses de Cala d'Hort, you will discover how civilizations have succeeded one another, preserving the witnesses of their predecessors. In fact, next to two small Punic necropolises with numerous hypogeums, you can discover the remains of a Roman city. But the most astonishing witness of the Roman building genius is undoubtedly the aqueduct, dated from the first century, which crosses the town of Santa Eularia des Riu.
A coveted island
To discover the island's eventful history, go to Ibiza-City and more precisely to the "upper town", the Dalt Vila, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The castle, whose elongated fortified enclosure and 9 quadrangular towers can be seen in the distance, was built in the 12th century as a residence for the wali, the Muslim governor. At that time, the Moorish influence can also be seen in the divisions of the city into fortified neighborhoods and in the creation of markets that animate the life of the medina. Then came the time of the Reconquest. The city was transformed and adorned with the finery of the Gothic style, the art of the triumphant Catholic faith. The Cathedral of the Virgin of the Snows is a superb example of what is called Catalan Gothic. It is characterized by a great formal purity, horizontality of volumes and minimalist decoration. See the massive buttresses of this cathedral all in sobriety. Like many religious buildings of the time, the cathedral was built on the foundations of a mosque, here the mosque of Yebisah. In many cases, the materials were also reused. The Puget Museum offers a more flamboyant side of the Gothic. Strolling through the narrow, winding stone streets of the old town, you will also discover some beautiful seigneurial houses with a Renaissance harmony. See the symmetry of their windows and the elegant colors of their facades. The church of Santo Domingo also dates from this period. Its single nave, 31 meters long, is flanked on each side by 5 chapels, 3 of which are recognizable by the tiled domes overhanging them. All these treasures are protected by the powerful ramparts of the city. Dating from the 16th century, they represent the military and aesthetic genius of the Renaissance... an architectural genius that did not however erase the previous constructions, incorporating on the contrary the different strata of fortifications, the oldest of which date back to the time of the Phoenicians! Forming an irregular heptagon with a defensive bastion at each top, these impressive walls are pierced by numerous gates, the most famous of which is the Porto de Ses Taules, flanked by two statues and protected by a drawbridge. The Portal Nou, on the other hand, has retained its original wooden doors. This defensive architecture reflects the tensions that reigned at the time, the island being coveted and especially frequently attacked. This explains the presence of watchtowers all along the coastline. Circular in plan, they can measure up to 15 m, and are made of limestone (the rock is abundant on the island). They are generally built on two levels, with the entrance being made by a ladder on the highest level. For security reasons, they do not have any windows, except for a few loopholes with bars. Their flat roofs were used as observation platforms. The Torre des Savinar and the Torre de Balafia are very good examples. The need to defend oneself even influenced the architecture of the churches. The very first ones on the island were both fortresses and temples of faith. They can be recognized by their low and massive structure, their very limited decoration and especially by their whitewashed walls. The church of Sant Antoni has no windows, and its roof still houses... cannons! The church of San Jordi is one of the oldest on the island. But the most impressive is the church of Puig de Missa in Santa Eularia des Riu. From the top of its promontory, it is difficult to miss its defensive bastion, which was built by the architect in charge of the walls of Ibiza! But you will also notice the presence of a beautiful porch with three rows of arcades with elegant pillars. A later addition, this porch illustrates the evolution of the island's churches, especially from the eighteenth century onwards, from fortresses to community gathering places. The first urban centers were created around the churches and porches and courtyards with arcades were built to accommodate the faithful. The church of Sant Josep, for example, has an impressive rectangular porch running along its entire façade.
Traditional architecture
Low walls of dry stone with an ingenious system of assembly ensuring a complete stability without any recourse to mortar; small crosses painted with lime intended to frighten away the evil spirits; cisterns, wells and stone tanks with railings and cornices often nicely worked... Ibiza is marked out by a rich small heritage. But if the island is famous today, it is especially for its fincas, unique traditional dwellings. Formerly built by the peasants themselves, they are made of limestone, most often recovered from the fields. The fincas can be recognized by their whitewashed walls and especially by their cubic shape. The finca consists of a basic cube with a flat roof, to which other cubic volumes can be added according to the owner's needs. Functionality and adaptability! In order not to suffer from the heat (and to protect themselves from possible attacks... the oldest fincas on the island still have dry stone defense towers!), the fincas have few openings, which are always narrow. Insulation is provided by a very ingenious roofing system. The latter is composed of several layers of natural elements known for their insulating and waterproofing properties: juniper wood / ash / algae and other marine plants / mortar / clay. Drainage systems are also added to allow for the recovery of rainwater. The life of the house is organized in the main room, the proxo. The kitchen, without windows and occupied in large part by the bread oven, is placed apart, for safety reasons. These properties are delimited by low dry stone walls. Sobriety, rationality and adaptation to the constraints of the climate preside over the construction of these traditional houses, which inspired some of the greatest modernist architects, including the famous Le Corbusier. Many fincas are nowadays rehabilitated, while the newly built ones have bigger windows and higher ceilings... triumph of modern comfort!
Surprisingly modern
German Jewish painter and architect Erwin Broner fled Nazi Germany and took refuge in 1934 in Ibiza, where he would make a significant mark on architectural history. A former student of the Bauhaus, Broner advocated an architecture that combined modernism and functionalism. His most famous achievement is the Casa Broner, built in Sa Penya in 1960. To connect the two levels of the house (the first floor houses the workshop and thefirst floor the apartment), the architect designed a spectacular bridge that overlooks the cliff on which the house is perched. Other great figures of modernism found Ibiza a land of inspiration. This is the case of Josep Lluis Sert, Sixte Illescas and German Rodriguez Arias, who worked together to design the Can Pep Simo neighborhood. Driven by the idea that architecture should respond to the needs of people and nature, the three architects imagined a neighborhood strongly influenced by the traditions of vernacular housing. Protected by the surrounding pine forest, the narrow, undulating streets, designed by low stone walls topped with white lime, crisscrossed between houses whose architectural qualities had been carefully thought out... the three architects feared the appearance of "horrors" in their neighborhood! Simple volumes, vast terraces overlooking the sea, large windows opening onto the bay, ochre walls and whitewashed bases and edges characterize the houses in this little Eden of modernity. For lovers of urban exploration, go to Cala d'en Serra, where the silhouette of the hotel complex designed by Josep Lluis Sert, begun in 1969 and abandoned in the mid-1970s when the dictatorship forbade the architect to work on the island, is hidden. Flat roofs, geometric volumes and an open plan with pillars are evidence of Sert's modernist ideas. Today, in response to the afflictions of mass tourism and the excessive concrete development of certain parts of the coastline, the island is seeing the development of an architecture that favors sober, clean lines and the use of natural materials, particularly in the villas. The island also has some amazing contemporary creations, such as the Convention Center, whose large rectangular volume is pierced by numerous openings, leaving room for the trees around which the center was built, or the Can Mises Hospital. Designed by Luis Vidal + Arquitectos, the hospital combines two architectural concepts: curative architecture with an emphasis on light, color and nature in the therapeutic process, and the "airport hospital" with simplified circulation spaces. And all this in an exterior envelope inspired by fincas. Tradition always!
