The Phare d'Eckmühl, also known as Point Penmarc'h Light or Saint-Pierre Light, is an active

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

Penmarc'h Penmarch (, ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Finistère Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, northwestern France.Finistère Finistère (, ; ) is a Departments of France, department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. Its prefecture is Quimper and its largest city is Brest, France, Brest. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.department,

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. At a height of it is one of the tallest lighthouses in the world. It is located at the port of Saint-Pierre, on

Point Penmarc'h Point Penmarc'h, often spelled Point Penmarch, or in French Pointe de Penmarc'h, is the extremity of a small peninsula in Finistère Departments of France, department in Brittany in northwestern France,''Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary, T ...

, on the southwestern corner of

Finistère Finistère (, ; ) is a Departments of France, department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. Its prefecture is Quimper and its largest city is Brest, France, Brest. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay ( ) is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Point Penmarc'h to the Spanish border, and along the northern coast of Spain, extending westward ...

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, a marshal of the First French Empire Louis Nicolas Davout, who was "Prince d'Eckmühl", a title he won after the

Battle of Eckmühl The Battle of Eckmühl fought on 22 April 1809, was the turning point of the 1809 Campaign, also known as the War of the Fifth Coalition. Napoleon I had been unprepared for the start of hostilities on 10 April 1809, by the Austrians under ...

. The tower was inaugurated on October 17, 1897. The centennial of the lighthouse was celebrated in 1997. The tower is open to the public. Reaching the top takes climbing 307 steps, 227 stone steps followed by an iron staircase. File:20120930_Phare_dEckmühl_Finistere_Bretagne_DSC09694_PtrQs.jpg, Chronology of lighthouses at Pointe de Saint-Pierre from left to right: „Vieille tour", Phare de Penmarc’h and Phare d'Eckmühl

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eckmuhl, Phare Lighthouses completed in 1835 Lighthouses completed in 1882 Lighthouses completed in 1897 Lighthouses in Brittany Buildings and structures in Finistère Tourist attractions in Finistère Monuments historiques of Finistère

See also

References