Description of the attraction
Stagno di Molentargius is a pond spread over an area of over 1,000 acres in the vicinity of the city of Cagliari in Sardinia. From the east it is bounded by the Quartu quarter, from the north by Viale Marconi, and from the south by Is Arenas.
Molentargius is a very ancient pond: it is known that a dam or a large swamp existed at this place already about 100 thousand years ago. At the time of the Phoenicians, salt mining began here, which continued during the rule of the Spaniards and later, under the Piedmontese. Initially, salt was mined by the inhabitants of the surrounding villages - they worked in the summer months. Then, between the 9th and 10th centuries, prisoners were used for this hard work. This is where the name Molentargius comes from: "sous molenti" is a small Sardinian donkey, loaded with bags of salt and used to guide boats into the canals.
In the first decades of the 20th century, the method of salt production was modified - a system of vats appeared, in which the salt began to evaporate: seawater was pumped into the outer basins, and from there it was slowly pumped into the central basin. From the central pool along the Is Arenas canal, water flows into the "salt" vats in Kvarta, where the process of salt evaporation ends.
But Molentargius represents not only economic, but also ecological value - the entire territory of the pond is an ecosystem of great importance. This nature reserve is home to thousands of birds belonging to 200 species! Despite the installation of pillars in the center of the pond, wastewater discharges, poaching and various forms of environmental pollution, the incredible birdlife of Molentargius continues to amaze scientists and tourists. In the near future, it is planned to create a natural park with a museum and a library. In the meantime, on the shore of the pond, you can find pink flamingos, curlews, striped stilts, plovers, moorhens, marsh harriers, wild ducks, small sultans and other birds that inhabit both freshwater and salt water bodies.
