For several months, the SMIDDEST (Syndicat Mixte pour le Développement Durable de l'Estuaire de la Gironde) and many citizens have been working to have the Cordouan lighthouse listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The mobilization has worked since this Thursday, January 31, the Minister of Culture Franck Riester announced the candidacy of two cultural properties for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including the Cordouan Lighthouse. This is an important decision since France can only submit one property per year to UNESCO. The committee will meet in July 2020 to study the application.
The Cordouan Lighthouse is built on a rocky plateau, on the borders of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gironde estuary. Since 1611, it secures the mouth of the Gironde, where the ocean and river waters mix. It is still in activity since 4 guards ensure its functioning. Its particularity: it is the only lighthouse at sea that can be visited at low tide. Every year, it welcomes 20,000 visitors who come to climb the 301 stone steps that lead to the lantern, which reaches a height of 68 meters.
He is nicknamed the lighthouse of kings and it is none other than Henry III who ordered the construction. Henry IV took over and decided to make it a temple dedicated to the glory of the two kings and the Catholic character of the monarchy. In total, the construction lasted 25 years, making Cordouan the most beautiful lighthouse in the world.
"It represents a masterpiece of human creative genius by its unique architecture, resulting from the desire to conceive a maritime signalling structure as a monument worthy of the ancient Wonders of the World. It is a testament to the ingenuity of men to erect an edifice of the highest artistic ambition within an inhospitable maritime environment." explains the Ministry of Culture.
