Cabo de Palos Lighthouse

History

 

The lighthouse is one of the most interesting neoclassical buildings in the Region of Murcia. Located on a rocky headland, it sits on the last hill of the coastal mountain range of Cartagena. At this point the land submerges under the Mediterranean waters before reemerging in the islands of Islas Hormigas.

 

Originally created to house the school of "Escuela de Torreros", the lighthouse faces East on the highest point of the cape, an area where there was an artillery emplacement or watch tower back in the day. The idea of building a watch tower on the headland of Cabo de Palos as part of defense system covering the entire Murcia Region coast, is attributed to king Felipe II in 1570. The original tower was destroyed in 1861 with the idea of building what is now the Cabo de Palos Lighthouse, project coordinated by the engineer Leonardo de Tejada.

 

The construction certificate of acceptance was dated December 18, 1864 and the lighthouse first emitted light on January 31, 1865.

 

Location: 37º 37' 54" North latitude and 0º 41' 22" Greenwich Meridian.

 

Plan: Square, 20-meter sides, two floors and a ground-parapet height of 11.6 meters. Masonry wall thickness is 65 centimeters in the plinth, 60 in the first floor and 50 in the second floor. The tower is in the middle and has a 12.5-high prismatic.

 

In the upper part, at a height of 43 centimeters, the tower capital and a large mold form a pointy cornice supported by 16 brackets. A 2.2x3.2-meter high tower rests on the cornice. There are two light beams emitted every 2.2 and 7.2 seconds, with a 23 nautical mile range (nearly 40 kilometers). Over 50,000 ships are guided by this lighthouse every year.