Narcís Puget, The great snowfall, 2 Feb 1907 © Arxiu d’Imatge i So Municipial d’Eivissa (AISME).

 

 p. 35 in Eivissa-Ibiza: Island Out of Time / La isla de antaño (Barbary Press, 2005) 

Image and text (re)published in Pacha Magazine no. 27, Sept 2009, pp. 68–9

The winter of 1906–1907 was one of coldest on record in Spain, with snowfalls across the Med and temperatures down to –13 in Segovia and –14 in Teruel. On Saturday 2nd February 1907 the Diario de Ibiza recorded that ‘one of the places where the snowfall has been extraordinary is the capital of the Balearics [Palma], according to telegrams received from there,’ to which the following was later added: ‘At midday, with the above item about snow already written, it began to fall with new intensity and very heavily, soon leaving roofs and streets completely white, and transforming passersby into statues of the Knight Commander [a reference to Vara de Rey: the statue to this locally-born hero was unveiled in 1904]. It has been – or rather is as it is still falling – a snowfall like none we can recall on our island.’

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Local painter and portrait photographer Narcís Puget was studying art in Madrid during these years under Eduardo Chicharro, but by happy chance was back on the island to witness the natural wonder. He captured it in several panoramic photographs, of which this is the most celebrated. Judging from street angles and foreground vegetation, it was taken from the building that now houses the Torre del Canónigo Hotel. It was also Puget who subsequently cited Ibiza’s ‘Isla Blanca’ nickname for the first time, in an article about ‘The whitewashing of houses’: 

 

The doctor and writer Escuder, after extolling at length the effect of our town, and after depicting in brilliant phrases the impressions that struck him upon entering the harbour says, “The capital of the island of Ibiza seen from afar appears like a large flock of white doves resting on a hill.” Do not let the houses that your forefathers whitewashed, filling them with light, cheerfulness, cleanliness and hygiene, be sullied little by little with sad grey tones. Do not let the white doves fly away from the hill for ever. Do not forget that the great artist Rusiñol gave to our island the name of Isla Blanca. 

 

Diario de Ibiza, 23 Sept. 1912. 

 

Other notable snowfalls on Ibiza occurred in February 1956, January 1960, December 1962, January 1985, and (Santa Eulalia) early in 2005. (Thanks to Félix Martínez for original use of his print, and to Ibiza town’s Arxiu d’Imatge i So for this extended panorama version). 

 

Originals Spanish texts in the Diario de Ibiza

 

‘One of the places…there’: Uno de los puntos en que la Nevada ha sido extraordinaria, es la capital de Baleares, según telegramas de ella recibidos.

 

‘At midday … recall on our island’: A medio día, escrito y copiado ya el suelto en el que se habla de la nieve, ha empezado ésta a caer de nuevo espesa, copiosísima, que ha dejado pronto tejados y piso de las calles completamente blancos y convertidos en estatuas del Comendador a los transeúntes. Ha sido, ó mejor dicho es, pues continúa nevando al trazar estas líneas, una nevada que no recordamos otra igual en nuestra isla.

 

‘The doctor and writer Escuder, after extolling at length the effect of our town, and after depicting in brilliant phrases the impressions that struck him upon entering the harbour says, 

“De lejos, y a la luz de la luna, estas ciudades mediterráneas del color de la nieve, atraen las miradas de los navegantes cual bandada de albas palomas posadas en parda colina.” No consintáis (pues) que las casas que blanquearon vuestros padres, dándoles luz, alegría, limpieza e higiene, vosotros poco a poco los ensuciéis con colores grises y tristes. No permitáis que los palomos blancos vuelen del mote para siempre. No olvidéis que el gran artista Rusiñol dio a nuestra isla el nombre de Isla Blanca.

Narcís Puget, “El encalade de las casas”, Diario de Ibiza, 23 de septiembre de 1912