The Ploumanac'h Lighthouse (officially the Mean Ruz Lighthouse
) 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 ...
in
Côtes-d'Armor
The Côtes-d'Armor ( , ; ; , ), formerly known as Côtes-du-Nord until 1990 (, ), is a department in the north of Brittany, in northwestern France. In 2019, it had a population of 600,582.[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 ...]
, located in
Perros-Guirec
Perros-Guirec (; ) is a commune in the department of Côtes-d'Armor in Brittany. It has been a seaside resort since the end of the 19th century.
Geography Climate
Perros-Guirec has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification ''Cfb''). T ...
.
The lighthouse is closed to the public.
The structure is composed of pink
granite
Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
, and marks the entrance to the channel leading to the port of
Ploumanac'h.
History
The first Ploumanac'h Lighthouse dates from 1860. This was destroyed by German troops on August 4, 1944, and replaced by the current lighthouse in 1946. The present-day version was planned by architect Henry Auffret, and built by ''Martin et frère'' (a local construction company).
The lighthouse offers a direct view of
Château de Costaérès
A château (, ; plural: châteaux) is a manor house, or palace, or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking reg ...
,
l'île Renote and
Jentilez.
Etymology
The lighthouse gets its common name from the nearby town of Ploumanac'h, meaning "monk's pool" in
Breton. The official name of "Mean Ruz" comes from the Breton
cacographic phrase ''Maen Ruz'', meaning "red stone".
See also
*
List of lighthouses in France
This is a list of lighthouses in France. It includes the French overseas territories.
Metropolitan France
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References
External links
*
Lighthouses completed in 1860
Lighthouses completed in 1946
Lighthouses in Brittany
Lighthouses of the English Channel
{{Europe-lighthouse-stub