The Museo Militar is in the town of Es Castell, also called Villacarlos; which stands about 3km away from the islands capital Mahon (now usually called Mao in the Catalan dialect of the islands). The town was built in the C18th as Georgetown to house a British garrison, and the main museum building stands in a square which was the parade ground, and has original barrack buildings on all sides.

The Museo Militar comprises a number of distinct parts, the museum building itself,the vast 19th century Fortress of La Mola, and the c 18th British built fortification of San Felipe, referred to locally as the castle, which is still an active Spanish garrison. Partly for this reason, and the 'newness' of the museum consortium-only created in 1998, there are restrictions upon opening and access. These are very likely to improve, especially as 2002 is to be celebrated as the 200th anniversary of the Treaty of Amiens which ended Britain's long role in Menorca.

The sites are within a few kilometres of each other, clustered around the entrance to the world's second greatest natural deep water harbour, Port Mahon.

The main museum is housed in the Cuartel de Cala Corp, previously the HQ of the Menorca Coastal Artillery Regiment. Outside the entrance is a 15cm Spanish coast defence gun circa 1898 and previously emplaced at La Mola ; a 155mm Schneider howitzer, a standard Spanish weapon during the Civil War, and another unusual find a German "Flak 88" in perfect condition, on its cruciform trail--all painted olive green. 

Inside the two storey museum building there are a number of themed rooms, one is the restored office of the Commander of the Coast Defence Regiment next to a small lecture area which shows videos of the coast defence weapons being fired. There are several useful (particularly to British and French visitors) displays and models of Menorca's early defences, especially the artillery fortifications, and a collection of modern small arms and machine guns, mines and equipment.

The 'General Brandaris' room is devoted to the extensive artillery defences of Menorca and its Commander during the Spanish Civil War, with detailed maps, technical data and photographs of the Krupp 36.5cm and Vickers 15" coastal guns, and the ten batteries of 105mm Vickers AA guns which defended Mahon for the Republic. This room is full of important primary Civil War records and material. The photographs of air attacks are particularly significant.

The lower floor of the museum is an ordnance delight. A number of exhibits are on permanent loan from the Museo de Ejercito in Madrid. One room is given over to optics and calculation apparatus for fire control of the Menorcan batteries from the mid 19th century to the end of the Civil War. Another is a chapel dedicated to St.Barbara--patron saint of gunners. The complete direction and fire control room from one of the Vickers 15" batteries established here in 1932 is on display on the lower floor,as are examples of the coastal, feld and anti-aircraft ammunition used in defence of the island from 1936 to 1939.

One last room is filled with artillery pieces, ranging from a C18th 12" Spanish mortar,and a rare find, a Schneider Canon Court de 105 M 1919 mountain gun of the Civil War period, to a 6pdr Nordenfeldt Quick Firer of 1903 all in excellent condition. The Nordenfeldt it seems was actually still in place at La Mola at the start of hostilities, an elderly but quite serviceable weapon even then. Throughout the Museum drawings, maps and photographs show the development of what is without a doubt, one of the best preserved and documented coastal artillery fortress complexes surviving in Western Europe.

Fortress of La Mola

The second component of the Museo Militar is the Fortress of La Mola, known for much of its existence as the 'Isabel II Fortress'. Work began here in 1849, qnd the fortifications went into service three years later, presenting a formidable maritime defensive front to the port of Mahon. Much of the organised two hour long visit to la Mola consists of a tour of the exterior and parts of the interior of the C19th landward fortifcation, its caponiers, Carnot galleries, with a brief visit to the c1860 barbette platform for 4 'Ordonez' 9.5" guns of the "Reina Regente" battery, covering the narrow mouth of the port. 

The real delight in visiting La Mola are the two Vickers-Armstrong 38.1 cm (15") coast defence guns in single turrets covering the seaward approaches to Mahon up to a range of 35km. Ten of these excellent weapons were bought by the Spanish government in 1932 and six of them were emplaced on Menorca in three batteries of two guns. These were the largest pieces of ordnance in Spanish military history,even the Battleships of the ill-fated "ESPANA" Class only carried 12" (30.5cm) guns.The immense task of transporting and mounting the guns is well recorded,and the visit to the Vickers battery at "Espero" (the Point of Hope),also enables the visitor to descend to the machine room, and enter the gun platform.

Interestingly, two of the Menorca 15" Vickers were later transferred, post Civil War,to cover the Straits of Gibraltar,while a third was lost in an internal explosion during firing practice at Llucalary. The "Espero" batteries also mount,on the north eastern point,four VickersAimstrong 6" guns which were not visited in this particular tour.

Castle of San Felipe

The Castle of San Felipe is a ruined but discernable British fort of the early 1700's, captured by Spanish forces in 1782. The site is still a Spanish battery,and at the entrance guard post stands a Hotchkiss 6pdr from the same battery as its sister in the Museo. The visit includes a walk through the poignant British cemetery to the "Principe" battery with two re-mounted c 1898 Munaiz-Arguelles 15cm guns and their platforms and service trenches,but the two guns are simply 'standing' rather than fully working, having been brought back from Cuidadella after the Civil War ended.

This tour includes the fixed mine (there were 14 in place across the harbour mouth) circuit and searchlight control point below the smaller fortification of San Carlos,in 1924 this was augmented by a torpedo launching platform which locked in to the crossfire of a similar battery on La Mola.

Above this fortification is sited "San Carlos Battery", built in 1898 at the time of the war with the USA,when Mahon's defences were very significantly improved. Here four Ordonez 24cm (9.5") CHRS guns were installed,and maintained in an active role until well after the Civil War,these are most unusual weapons,land based developments of the principal armament of the 'Princesa de Asturias" Class of Cruisers.

The southern side of San Carlos looks over to Fort Marlborough with the Stuart Tower beyond, these date from the periods of British and French occupation from 1704 to 1802. Neither site has any ordnance surviving in place. 

Opening Hours

The main Museo Militar in Es Castell is open only on Monday and Thursday in Summer, between 1100 and 1300, but be warned two hours is really not enough to examine the wealth of material here.

The La Mola Fortress is open for tours on Sunday at 1000, and on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 1800. Each tour is around two hours long,but again be warned not every tour takes in the Vickers Armstrong battery at "Espero", some tours are more suited to those interested purely in C 19th fortifications.

San Felipe is open for tours only on Wednesday at 1000 and a prior booking at the main Museo Militar is necessary.

Fort Marlborough and the Stuart Tower are open from Tuesday to Saturday 1000 to 1300, and 1700 to 2000 in Summer and on Sundays between 1000 and 1300 only.

Entry to each site in 2001 cost around 400 pesetas, and though the visits have to be juggled, as opening times are indeed short, I can say without fear of contradiction that time spent in and around the Museo Militar is extremely well spent.

Related

The Battle of Majorca 1936

Historical Introduction
Order of Battle