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Cabrera Island, Mallorca
Archipelago of Cabrera, Balearic Islands, Spain
Taken on flight Vueling Airlines 6382 - Airbus A320 - PMI-TRN
The Archipelago of Cabrera consists of a group of islands and islets. It is located about 10 km to the south of Mallorca and is has been a Maritime-Terrestrial National Park since the 12th of April of 1991. It is an insular area preserved in its natural condition.
If you want to visit Cabrera, 10 nautical miles to the south coast of Mallorca, either you have to join a guided tour or obtain a special permit for private boats.
Cabrera has a strong military record.Some parts of the island are restricted due to the presence of armament that has not been exploded.
CABRERA AS PRISON CAMP
In the early 1800’s, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte turned his attention from dominance in central Europe to the Iberian Peninsula. Here his troops were severely tested and forced to fight an intense guerilla war. In one particular engagement, The Battle of Bailen – in the province of Jaen – Napoleon’s troops were forced to surrender. Over 7,000 French soldiers were taken prisoner and summarily marched south to ‘prison ships’ anchored in the Cadiz harbor.
Spanish authorities debated the prisoners’ fate for months. The captors did not want to repatriate these prisoners back to France where they might return to the Iberian Peninsula to fight another day. The conditions quickly became deplorable. Local officials, fearing epidemics, riots and the high cost of maintenance, decided to set the prison ships to sail. In April 1809, these prison ships sailed from Cadiz destined for the rocky outcrop island of Cabrera.
Like marooned castaways, the French captives were exiled on this island without supervision, without shelter or clothing, little fresh water (Cabrera has only one natural spring) and without sufficient provisions. They were literally dumped on the beach and left alone to their own devices.
Although there is a paucity of official records, there are accounts of disease, exposure, starvation, contagion and malnutrition. There are also accounts of prisoners forming hierarchical social groups which resulted in ‘gang wars’, murders, suicides and anarchy. Some groups monopolized the limited food supplies while other groups enforced draconian discipline.
Of the 9,000 French prisoners sent to Cabrera, only 3,500 survived.
Cabrera Island, Mallorca
Archipelago of Cabrera, Balearic Islands, Spain
Taken on flight Vueling Airlines 6382 - Airbus A320 - PMI-TRN
The Archipelago of Cabrera consists of a group of islands and islets. It is located about 10 km to the south of Mallorca and is has been a Maritime-Terrestrial National Park since the 12th of April of 1991. It is an insular area preserved in its natural condition.
If you want to visit Cabrera, 10 nautical miles to the south coast of Mallorca, either you have to join a guided tour or obtain a special permit for private boats.
Cabrera has a strong military record.Some parts of the island are restricted due to the presence of armament that has not been exploded.
CABRERA AS PRISON CAMP
In the early 1800’s, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte turned his attention from dominance in central Europe to the Iberian Peninsula. Here his troops were severely tested and forced to fight an intense guerilla war. In one particular engagement, The Battle of Bailen – in the province of Jaen – Napoleon’s troops were forced to surrender. Over 7,000 French soldiers were taken prisoner and summarily marched south to ‘prison ships’ anchored in the Cadiz harbor.
Spanish authorities debated the prisoners’ fate for months. The captors did not want to repatriate these prisoners back to France where they might return to the Iberian Peninsula to fight another day. The conditions quickly became deplorable. Local officials, fearing epidemics, riots and the high cost of maintenance, decided to set the prison ships to sail. In April 1809, these prison ships sailed from Cadiz destined for the rocky outcrop island of Cabrera.
Like marooned castaways, the French captives were exiled on this island without supervision, without shelter or clothing, little fresh water (Cabrera has only one natural spring) and without sufficient provisions. They were literally dumped on the beach and left alone to their own devices.
Although there is a paucity of official records, there are accounts of disease, exposure, starvation, contagion and malnutrition. There are also accounts of prisoners forming hierarchical social groups which resulted in ‘gang wars’, murders, suicides and anarchy. Some groups monopolized the limited food supplies while other groups enforced draconian discipline.
Of the 9,000 French prisoners sent to Cabrera, only 3,500 survived.