Phare d'Eckmuhl
Encyclopedia
The Phare d'Eckmühl, also known as Point Penmarc'h Light or Saint-Pierre Light, is an active lighthouse
in Penmarc'h, Finistère
department, Brittany, France
. At a height of 213 feet (64.9 m) it is one of the tallest lighthouses in the world. It is located at the port of Saint-Pierre, on Point Penmarc'h
, on the southwestern corner of Finistère
and the northwestern entrance to the Bay of Biscay
.
The tower was built following a decision on April 3, 1882 to modernize the coastal lighthouses and raise the focal height of the Penmarc'h lighthouse, built in 1835, to 60m. However, engineers reported that the old tower could not support such an extension, so in 1890 it was decided to built a new lighthouse, the plans of which were completed on April 3, 1882. Funding came unexpectedly on 9 December 1892 when Adélaïde-Louise Davout, Marquise de Blocqueville, left substantial funds for the new tower in her will, provided the lighthouse was dedicated to the memory of her her father, the general Louis Nicolas Davout
, who was "Prince d'Eckmühl", a title he won after the Battle of Eckmühl
. The tower was inaugurated on October 23, 1897.
The centennial of the lighthouse was celebrated in 1997.
The tower is open to the public. Reaching the top takes climbing 307 steps, 227 stone steps followed by an iron staircase.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
in Penmarc'h, Finistère
Finistère
Finistère is a département of France, in the extreme west of Brittany.-History:The name Finistère derives from the Latin Finis Terræ, meaning end of the earth, and may be compared with Land's End on the opposite side of the English Channel...
department, Brittany, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. At a height of 213 feet (64.9 m) it is one of the tallest lighthouses in the world. It is located at the port of Saint-Pierre, on Point Penmarc'h
Point Penmarc'h
Point Penmarc'h, often spelled Point Penmarch, or in French Pointe de Penmarc'h, is the extremity of a small peninsula in Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France, and the northern limit of the Bay of Biscay....
, on the southwestern corner of Finistère
Finistère
Finistère is a département of France, in the extreme west of Brittany.-History:The name Finistère derives from the Latin Finis Terræ, meaning end of the earth, and may be compared with Land's End on the opposite side of the English Channel...
and the northwestern entrance to the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
.
The tower was built following a decision on April 3, 1882 to modernize the coastal lighthouses and raise the focal height of the Penmarc'h lighthouse, built in 1835, to 60m. However, engineers reported that the old tower could not support such an extension, so in 1890 it was decided to built a new lighthouse, the plans of which were completed on April 3, 1882. Funding came unexpectedly on 9 December 1892 when Adélaïde-Louise Davout, Marquise de Blocqueville, left substantial funds for the new tower in her will, provided the lighthouse was dedicated to the memory of her her father, the general Louis Nicolas Davout
Louis Nicolas Davout
Louis-Nicolas d'Avout , better known as Davout, 1st Duke of Auerstaedt, 1st Prince of Eckmühl, was a Marshal of France during the Napoleonic Era. His prodigious talent for war along with his reputation as a stern disciplinarian, earned him the title "The Iron Marshal"...
, who was "Prince d'Eckmühl", a title he won after the Battle of Eckmühl
Battle of Eckmühl
The Battle of Eckmühl fought on 21 April – 22 April 1809, was the turning point of the 1809 Campaign, also known as the War of the Fifth Coalition...
. The tower was inaugurated on October 23, 1897.
The centennial of the lighthouse was celebrated in 1997.
The tower is open to the public. Reaching the top takes climbing 307 steps, 227 stone steps followed by an iron staircase.
See also
- List of tallest lighthouses in the world
- List of lighthouses in France