Phare d'Eckmühl

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 (65 m) it is one of the tallest lighthouses in the world.[1] 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.

Phare d'Eckmühl during construction in 1895

Phare d'Eckmühl
Phare d'Eckmühl, 2007
Location in Finistère
Phare d'Eckmühl (France)
LocationPenmarch, France
Coordinates47°47′53.9″N 4°22′21.9″W
Year first constructed1831
Year first lit1897
Automated17 October 2007 
Constructiongranite
Tower shapesquare tower, octagonal watch room, gallery, lantern
Markings / patternunpainted gray tower, white lantern
Tower height213 feet (65 m)
Focal height197 feet (60 m)
Original lensFresnel lens
Range23 nautical miles (43 km; 26 mi)
CharacteristicFl W 5s
Fog signalHorn: 1 bl. ev. 60s
Admiralty numberD0890
NGA number113-308
ARLHS numberFRA-256
Heritagemonument historique classé 


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 build 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 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 17, 1897.[2]

The centennial of the lighthouse was celebrated in 1997.[3]

The tower is open to the public. Reaching the top takes climbing 307 steps, 227 stone steps followed by an iron staircase.

  • Chronology of lighthouses at Pointe de Saint-Pierre from left to right: „Vieille tour", Phare de Penmarc’h and Phare d'Eckmühl

See also

References
  1. Although it is not mentioned in Rowlett, Russ. "The Tallest Lighthouses". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  2. Base Mérimée: Phare d'Eckmühl aussi appelé Phare de Penmarc'h, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  3. "Bienvenue a ECKMÜHL 97". bagadoo.tm.fr (in French). Retrieved 15 August 2010.
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