Tower of Hercules, a World Heritage Site in Spain

Located at the entrance to the port of A Coruña in Galicia, northwestern Spain, the Tower of Hercules is a lighthouse with Roman origins, built on a 57-meter-high hill, 55 meters high, and was called “Brigantium’s Tower” until the 20th century because Galicia used to be called Brigantium. The present tower was reconstructed in the 18th century, but it is still an active lighthouse.

Here, a World Heritage enthusiast explains why the Tower of Hercules is a World Heritage Site in an easy-to-understand manner. Read this and you will definitely learn more about the Tower of Hercules!

What is the Tower of Hercules?

This lighthouse is located on a peninsula 2.4 km from A Coruña in Galicia, northwestern Spain. It is believed that there have been several small towers here since the Celtic period, but a large tower was built in Roman times and used as a lighthouse from the 2nd century. Although the tower was extensively restored in the 18th century, it is valued for being the “oldest lighthouse in the world” that has been in continuous use since Roman times.

The tower is 55 m high; in terms of composition, the lower 34 m is the foundation from the Roman era, and the upper 21 m is where the new octagonal tower in the neoclassical style was added in the 18th century. Parts of the foundation were also found to have been built during the Roman period, and the tower is surrounded by the remains of Roman buildings and a Muslim cemetery.

Why is it called the “Tower of Hercules” in the first place? It is because of the legend that Heracles, the hero of Greek mythology, defeated a monster called Gēryōn here and buried his head. It is said that Hercules told him to build a town here. However, this is only the name given to the city in the 20th century after the unification of Spain. Incidentally, a statue of Hercules is placed at the foot of the hill where the tower is located.

For what reason is the Tower of Hercules on the World Heritage List?

The Tower of Hercules was evaluated by

Registration Criteria (iii)
The point is that the Tower of Hercules is proof that there has been a route between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea since ancient times, and that lighthouses have been used for this purpose.

World Heritage Mania Conclusions and Comments

Although it has been renovated, it is appreciated that the “function as a lighthouse” has always been here since Roman times. The lighthouse offers a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean, which clearly shows that this route has been very important from Roman times to the present.

Incidentally, the tower is thought to be modeled after the Great Lighthouse of Alexandria, which once stood in Egypt.This one was the largest lighthouse in the world at 134 meters, but it collapsed in the 14th century and is no longer in existence.

*This is a discussion derived from the research of a World Heritage enthusiast. As for the data, interpretation differs depending on the medium.