The Cabo Sardão Lighthouse is located at Ponta do Cavaleiro in the village of
Odemira
Odemira (), officially the Town of Odemira (), is a town and a List of municipalities of Portugal, municipality in Beja District in the Portugal, Portuguese region of Alentejo. The population in 2021 was 29,538, in an area of , making it the large ...
, in the parish of
São Teotónio, at the westernmost point of the
Alentejo
Alentejo ( , , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond the Tagus" ().
Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo Province, Alto Alentejo and Bai ...
region of
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
.
The lighthouse consists of a white quadrangular masonry tower, topped by a red cylindrical lantern. There is also a lengthy annex building, together with small staff quarters. Unusually, the tower is built on the land side of the annex, whereas others of similar design in Portugal have the tower on the sea side. This has given rise to the belief that the builder may have rotated the plans by 180 degrees by accident.
The tower is meters high. Its construction was first proposed and approved in 1883. However, no action was taken until a Lighthouse Commission was formed in 1902 and operations only began on 15 April 1915. The lighthouse was electrified in 1950, with the installation of generators, at which time the light source was changed from petroleum gas to a 3000 watt bulb. It was connected to the public distribution network in 1984. The power of the light source was reduced and a 1000-watt bulb was installed.
While the lighthouse can today be easily reached by car and is next to a popular viewpoint, particularly for ornithologists, until the 1950s the delivery of mail had to be carried out by a courier, involving a return trip on foot of more than 20 kilometers along an almost impassable path.
Visits
The lighthouse can be visited on Wednesdays. Guided tours are at 14.00, 15.00 and 16.00.
See also
*
List of lighthouses in Portugal
*
Directorate of Lighthouses, Portugal
References
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{{Authority control
Lighthouses in Portugal
Lighthouses completed in 1915
Buildings and structures in Beja District