At the Binifadet winery, not far from Mahón in Menorca, marés stone is used to help preserve wine barrels. According to the winery, this traditional material contributes subtle mineral notes to the wine.
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Visitors unfamiliar with the Balearic Islands may not recognise the term marés, but in Menorca it is everywhere. It is the limestone that gives many Menorcan buildings their distinctive character and has been used to construct the island's extensive network of stone walls, which stretch for more than 11,000 kilometres. These dry-stone walls, built without mortar, are one of the defining features of the Balearic landscape.
Marés is a soft stone that is easy to carve, although it is highly sensitive to moisture. For centuries, it was extracted from quarries such as the Pedreres de s'Hostal, near Ciutadella. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, extraction was carried out by hand until the arrival of machinery enabled more intensive quarrying. However, the growing popularity of brick and concrete gradually pushed both the quarries and the stonemason's trade into decline.
The s'Hostal quarry finally ceased operations in 1994. By then, decades of extraction had created a remarkable five-hectare landscape of towering stone walls, geometric cuts and dramatic open spaces shaped by both human activity and the passage of time.
It would have been a great loss if such a unique setting had been left abandoned. This is where Lithica comes in, the project that transformed the former s'Hostal quarry into one of Menorca's most striking cultural landmarks.
Following the site's closure, a group of stone enthusiasts led by the French-born sculptor Laetitia Sauleau founded the Lithica Cultural Association. The name comes from the Greek word lithos, meaning "stone". They aimed to preserve the quarry, enhance its beauty and give it a new artistic and cultural purpose. In short, they sought to rescue an extraordinary landscape from being forgotten.
And, indeed, they have succeeded. Today, the quarry has become a place to be enjoyed by both residents and visitors, where stone and vegetation coexist in remarkable harmony. The site features aromatic gardens, walking paths that showcase native species and Menorca’s agricultural traditions, and even a medieval-inspired garden. Yet the most striking space is undoubtedly the Mineral Labyrinth, inspired by the myth of the Minotaur’s labyrinth.
This example of land art is made up of more than 3,000 blocks of marés stone, transforming the quarry into a setting filled with adventure and wonder. It is a truly unique place, made even more special during the summer months, when it hosts the Fosquet Festival, named after the Menorcan word for dusk.
In this extraordinary open-air amphitheatre, performances have taken place since 2019 as the day’s heat begins to fade. The sounds once produced by quarry workers have given way to music, theatre and artistic expression.
As Lithica itself describes it, dusk is “the moment to sit in the cool evening air with family and friends, sharing a pleasant time at the end of the day”. Few places are better suited to that experience than this remarkable stone landscape, where marés serves both as a canvas and a stage for culture.
Menorca may be famous for its coves and crystal-clear waters, but it is also home to unexpected places such as Lithica, where heritage, nature and creativity come together in a truly distinctive way.
