The Montedor Lighthouse ( pt, Farol de Montedor) is located on the Atlantic Ocean on a promontory in the parish of Carreço in the municipality of Viana do Castelo in Portugal. It is the northernmost lighthouse in Portugal, situated north of the mouth of the Lima River and south of the mouth of the Minho River. It was opened on 20 March 1910.

History

In the second half of the 18th century, the lack of lights to support navigation led to a plan to build six lighthouses in Portugal and one was first planned for this site in 1758. However, repeated postponements meant that none of these lighthouses would be constructed until much later. The Montedor Lighthouse only began to be realised after completion of the Lighthouse and Beacon Plan on the Coast of Portugal, for which was the main author. The engineer, José Ribeiro de Almeida, was commissioned to design it in 1903, after the location had been finalised. The main work was completed in 1908, with the lighthouse being opened for testing in March 1910. This was one of eight lighthouses planned by Xavier. A 3rd-order Fresnel lens was installed, producing groups of three white flashes every 10 seconds. It was manufactured by the French company, Barbier, Benard, et Turenne, and was transferred from the

Lighthouse of Cabo de São Vicente The Lighthouse of Cabo de São Vicente ( pt, Farol do Cabo de São Vicente) is a beacon/ lighthouse located along the coastal peninsula of Sagres Point in the civil parish of Sagres, in the Portuguese municipality of the Vila do Bispo. Not to be ...

in the Algarve. It achieved a range of . In 1926 the number of flashes was reduced to two, to avoid confusion with the

Leça Lighthouse The Leça Lighthouse ( pt, Farol de Leça), also known as the ''Farol de Boa Nova'', is a lighthouse on the Atlantic coast located in Leça da Palmeira, in the municipality of Matosinhos in the Porto District of Portugal. It is the second-talle ...

. Over time, the lighthouse has undergone several improvements. In 1936, it started to use

incandescence Incandescence is the emission of electromagnetic radiation (including visible light) from a hot body as a result of its high temperature. The term derives from the Latin verb ''incandescere,'' to glow white. A common use of incandescence is ...

produced by oil vapour. Facilities to broadcast radio signals were installed in 1942, being deactivated in 2001 because such signals were no longer being used by navigation. In 1947 it was connected to the public electricity grid and a 3000W lamp was installed. In 1952, the compressed air horn was dismantled and an electric siren was installed. In 1983, a Halogen lamp was introduced, enabling the

wattage Electric power is the rate at which electrical energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt, one joule per second. Standard prefixes apply to watts as with other SI units: thousands, millions and billions of ...

of the lamp to be reduced to 1000W. The light has a range of . The lighthouse was automated in 1987 and equipped with a new sound signal.

Structure

The tower is quadrangular, constructed in granite. It is 28 meters tall, giving it a focal height of 103 meters. It has a semi-circular roof, painted red, and is topped by a weather vane.

Impact on local culture

An architectural and cultural symbol of Viana do Castelo, the lighthouse was the inspiration for the composition of a song entitled ''Farol de Montedor''.

References

{{Lighthouses in Europe Lighthouses in Portugal Lighthouses completed in 1910 Buildings and structures in Viana do Castelo