Lighthouse of the Week, October 15-21, 2017: Torre de Hercules, Galicia, Spain

Sometimes you find something completely by accident.  I wasn't even searching for lighthouses in Spain, but a weird combination of search factors led me to this one.  I won't call myself a lighthouse expert in any sense -- I admire the settings that they are found in as much as I do the structure and history of the actual lighthouse -- so I didn't know anything about this one.

I've only slightly edited down the Lighthouse Directory entry, and I will give due credit to that section of this amazing guide:  Lighthouses of Spain, Northern Galicia.  Otherwise, here's the fascinating story of Torre de Hercules, the oldest active lighthouse in the world.

Early 2nd century AD (extensively reconstructed in the late 1700s). Active; focal plane 106 m (348 ft); four white flashes every 20 s. 49 m (161 ft) square cylindrical stone tower, incorporating keeper's quarters, surmounted by an octagonal stone watchroom, lantern and gallery. The tower is unpainted dark gray stone; lantern is black. This is the world's oldest active lighthouse, and also one of its most famous and most historic. The original construction date of the lighthouse is not known, but an inscription found near the original foundation mentions an architect known to have been active in Spain during the rule of the Emperor Trajan (98-117 AD). At that time, A Coruña was the Roman city of Brigantium. The lighthouse was abandoned during the Dark Ages after the fall of Rome, but it was put back in service by the 13th century, when A Coruña became an important port. By the 17th century, however, the lighthouse was a quaint ruin, and efforts were made to shore it up. Complete restoration had to wait until 1785, when Carlos III ordered a reconstruction. What was left of the Roman structure was patched up and encased in new granite masonry, and the tower was extended in height with an octagonal second stage and the octagonal watch room. Today the lighthouse is the symbol of A Coruña and one of the most visited tourist attractions in Galicia. It is called the Tower of Hercules because of an old legend that Hercules himself built it. In June 2009, the tower was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located in the Parque de la Torre at the northern end of the peninsula on whch A Coruña is built, nearly surrounded by water and with a sweeping view of the open Atlantic.

Click on this line to see a map of where it is located.  To describe it in words, it's the part of Spain on the coast that is north of Portugal.  The nearest large towns are Vigo, Santiago de Compostela, and Oviedo.

Here are the pictures, and there are a LOT of pictures of this one.  I've chosen four.