Ciudadela is a city and small port on the west coast of the Spanish island of Menorca, off the eastern coast of Spain in the Mediterranean. Ciudadela is situated at the head of a narrow and shallow arm of the sea, surrounded by flat, arid land. The area contains many stone reminders of the prehistoric people who once occupied Menorca and other islands in the western Mediterranean. Ciudadela was founded about 450 BC. Its walls, of which only vestiges remain, were built by Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, and Moors. In 1558 the city was sacked by Turkish pirates. In the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), Spain ceded Minorca, and therefore Ciudadela, to the British, but in 1756 the island was occupied by the French. The English regained possession of the island in 1763, but lost it to Spanish forces in 1782. Retaken by the British in 1788, Minorca was awarded to Spain by the Treaty of Amiens (1802).

The center of Ciudadela is Plaça d'es Born, site of tourist information. This was the center of life when the town was known to Jaume I. Back then Ciudadela was completely walled to protect itself from pirate incursions, which were a serious threat from the 13th century on. Much of the present look of this square, and of Ciudadela itself, is thanks to its demotion in 1722, when the capital was transferred to Mahón. For centuries that checked urban development in Ciudadela, and many buildings now stand that might have been torn down to make way for progress.