Cordouan Lighthouse
Sign in to savelighthouse in Gironde, France
Key facts
- Location
- Gironde , France
- Foundation
- 3-storey cylindrical basement
- Construction
- stone tower
- Height
- 67.5 metres (221 ft)
- Shape
- conical tower with three galleries and lantern
- Markings
- unpainted light gray tower, darker gray gallery and lantern
- Heritage
- Monument historique , World Heritage Site
- Focal height
- 197 feet (60 m)
- Lens
- First order Fresnel lens
- Range
- white 22 nautical miles (41 km; 25 mi), red/green 18 nautical miles (33 km; 21 mi)
- Characteristic
- Occ. W R G (depending on direction) 12s
- Type
- Cultural
- Criteria
- (i)(iv)
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- lighthouse
- Country
- France
- Located in
- Le Verdon-sur-Mer
- Area
- 83879.8361
- Body of water
- Gironde estuary
- Material used
- stone
- Image
- Cordouan.jpg
- Height
- 67.50
- Has parts of class
- tread
Show 11 more facts
- Commons category
- Cordouan lighthouse
- heritage designation
- World Heritage Site
- inception
- 1615-00-00
- focal height
- 60
- light characteristic
- Oc(2+1) WRG 12s
- lighthouse range
- 15
- light sector
- 294°30′-014°
- visitors per year
- 20000
- service entry
- 1611-00-00
- described by source
- The Nuttall Encyclopædia
- nickname
- Versailles de la mer
Sources (8)
via Wikidata · CC0
~6 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Cordouan lighthouse ( French pronunciation: [kɔʁdwɑ̃]) is an active lighthouse located 7 kilometres (4.3 miles) at sea, near the mouth of the Gironde estuary in France. At a height of 67.5 metres (221 ft), it is the tenth-tallest "traditional lighthouse" in the world.
The Tour de Cordouan, the 'Patriarch of Lighthouses' is by far the oldest lighthouse in France, with construction starting in 1584 and finishing in 1611. Designed by leading Paris architect Louis de Foix [fr], the lighthouse is something of a Renaissance masterpiece, drawing inspiration from Roman mausoleums, and the palaces, cathedrals, and forts of the Renaissance. Three stories were added in the 18th century.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Cordouan Lighthouse” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.