Cordouan Lighthouse
Le Verdon-sur-Mer, France
Open to visitors
The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.
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The Cordouan Lighthouse stands 67.5 metres tall near the mouth of the Gironde estuary in western France, making it the tenth-tallest traditional lighthouse in the world. Constructed between 1584 and 1611 to designs by Paris architect Louis de Foix, it is France's oldest lighthouse and a Renaissance masterpiece drawing inspiration from Roman mausoleums and Renaissance palaces, cathedrals, and fortifications. Three additional stories were added during the eighteenth century. Built in stone and still active, the lighthouse earned recognition as a historic monument in 1862 and was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021, celebrated for both its outstanding architectural significance and its role in documenting the evolution of lighthouse design.
- Built
- Type
- lighthouse
- Materials
- stone
- Heritage
- classified historical monument, Tentative World Heritage Site
- Height
- 67.5 m
- Place
- Le Verdon-sur-Mer, France
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Location