Tower of Hercules, Spain

The old active lighthouse is one of the main attractions of the Spanish city of La Coruna. It is called the Tower of Hercules. This lighthouse was built during the Roman Empire. It is considered the oldest lighthouse on the planet today. The tower is located on a rocky peninsula. The height of the peninsula is 57 meters above sea level. The height of the lighthouse is 55 meters. According to historical data, the lighthouse was built at the turn of the 1st-2nd centuries A.D. It was continuously used until the early Middle Ages.

It remained in disrepair for more than a hundred years afterward. Residents had an interest in the old lighthouse only by the beginning of the 15th century. The city of La Coruna had the status of a major port during this period. It needed a powerful lighthouse for the regulation of Maritime navigation. The lighthouse owes its current name to a beautiful legend. According to it, Hercules fought the giant Geryon on the rocky peninsula for three days.

Hercules decided to build a tower on the peninsula after he finally defeated his enemy. He brought people from Galatia here after that. They founded the first city near the peninsula afterward. The ancient lighthouse has irrevocably lost some of its original design elements over hundreds of years of existence. Its first wooden staircase was replaced with a stone one. The fourth floor was added to the lighthouse in the late 18th century. It increased its height by 21 meters. Some elements have been preserved after almost 2,000 years. The granite walls of the lighthouse are among them. Their thickness is more than two meters. Next - Cordoba City Center