Tower of Hercules, Spain
The Tower of Hercules is located at the entrance to the port of A Coruña, northwestern Spain, built for the first time 1 century AD. Building of Roman origin, is one of the oldest lighthouses in the world still in operation. Listed as a World Heritage Site since 2009, it is a witness to the Latin era.
Hook Lighthouse, Ireland
Located on the Hook Peninsula in the Irish Sea, it marks the entrance to Waterford Harbour at the mouth of the Tree Sisters. Built in the 12 e the Hook Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse still in activity and certainly the oldest lighthouse in Europe. Built by the Count of Pembroke, it is 35 m high. In the beginning, it was the monks who made lights to guide the ships, it is automated since 1966, and is open to the public since 2001.
Genoa lighthouse, Italy
The lighthouse of Genoa, called the Lanterna because of the cylindrical lantern equipped with a rotating optic that is found at its top. It is a square tower of 76 m high, installed on the Ligurian port. Built in the 12th century and rebuilt several times, it is a symbol of the city and the highest lighthouse in Italy and the Mediterranean.
Cordouan Lighthouse, France
The cordouan lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse of France still in activity. Built in 1611, it secures the mouth of the Gironde. A real museum in the middle of the sea, it is also the first lighthouse to obtain the title of Historical Monument in 1862.
It is the oldest lighthouse in France still in activity and the last French lighthouse on which keepers still live and work all year long. Another characteristic is that it is the only lighthouse at sea that can be visited, accessible at low tide.
Lighthouse of Tourlitis, Greece
The Lighthouse of Tourlitis is located in front of the port of Chora on the Greek island of Andros. Built on an isolated rock - a unique fact in Greece - it was erected in 1887 and rises 19 meters above the Aegean Sea. Given its location, it has never had guards and is in fact the first automated lighthouse in Greece. Destroyed during the Second World War, it was rebuilt identically in 1995 thanks to the donations of a rich family.
Leander Tower, Istanbul
Called Kiz Kulesi in Turkish, the tower of Leander is located on a small island in the Bosphorus, between Europe and Asia. The first tower was built in 408 B.C., but many reconstructions have taken place since. Today, it houses a restaurant.
This tower owes its name to a widespread legend in Turkey. To protect his daughter from the predictions of the oracle that she would be killed by a terrible snake bite at the age of 18, a sultan decided to build this tower to lock up his daughter and protect her until her 18th birthday. On that famous day, the sultan brought her a basket of exotic fruit from which a snake sprang. Thus the fateful prediction was fulfilled. And the tower inherited the girl's name.
Rubjerg Knude lighthouse, Denmark
The Rubjerg Knude lighthouse is located in the Jutland peninsula in Denmark, built in 1990. 60 m high above the sea, it is a victim of the advancing sand, so much so that the site was abandoned in 2002. If this one still holds, the buildings which surround it are almost buried.
Lighthouse of the Pathfinders, Tierra del Fuego
The Lighthouse of the Pathfinders is located on a rocky islet on the Beagle Channel at the entrance of the bay of Ushuaia and was put in service in 1920 by the French expedition called "La Romanche." It owes its name to the islets that had to be illuminated to warn of the dangers of the archipelago.
Lighthouse of Ponta do Arnel, Azores
Located on the promontory of Ponta di Arnel, in Nordeste on the island of Sao Miguel in the Azores, the lighthouse of Ponta do Arnel was the first to be installed in this archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. Built in 1876, it is automated since 1998 and offers a breathtaking view of the Atlantic.
Kjeungskjaer lighthouse, Norway
Kjeungskjær Lighthouse is built on an island near the municipality of Ørland, and guides ships in and out of the Trondheim Fjord. This bright red octagonal lighthouse is one of the most iconic in the region and has accommodation for 20 people.
