Phare d'Eckmühl

The Phare d' Eckmühl is a lighthouse on the Pointe de Saint -Pierre in Penmarc'h in the French department of Finistère. Inaugurated on October 17, 1897 Phare d' Eckmühl is with 60 m height of the tallest lighthouses in Europe. The tower ensures the most dangerous due to many rocky coasts of France. The walls of the tower are built of granite Kersanton, and the inner wall of the staircase is covered with opal glass. The tower is now one of the most visited monuments in the Finistère.

History

Prehistory

The Phare d' Eckmühl was built next to two older lighthouses in the village of Saint- Pierre. First, an optical telegraph ( sémaphore ), later known as Vieille Tour ( " Old Tower " ) was referred to arose. 1835 was the Tour de Penmarc'h as a direct predecessor of the Phare d' Eckmühl in operation. In an Act of April 3, 1882, the French government decided to modernize its flares on the coast, and in particular the connection of the most important lighthouses, including the Phare de Penmarc'h, to the electricity. The new lighting concept was based on a height of 60 meters. But the lighthouse was only 40 meters high, and it turned out to be technically impossible to raise it as far as it was necessary for the intended range of the beacon from an average of 100 km. In 1890 was therefore decided to build a new, 54.20 m high lighthouse. On October 6, 1892, the project with a total cost of 110,000 francs was decided.

An unexpected funding

On December 9, 1892 resulted from an unexpected windfall changes in the project. The Marquise d' Adélaïde -Louise de Eckmühl Blocqueville certain in her will a sum of 300,000 francs for the construction of a lighthouse. This lighthouse should be named d' Eckmühl, in honor of her father, the Maréchal Louis Nicolas Davout, Duke of Auerstädt, Prince of Eckmühl. This last title he owed the Battle of Eckmühl that he had struck near the Bavarian village Eggmühl. The Marquise wanted this name full of sad memories should restore his reputation by the thanks of the lighthouse lives saved:

" Les larmes versées par la fatalité of guerres, que je redoute et plus que jamais déteste, seront rachetées ainsi par les vies de la sauvées tempête. "

She wished also that this will lighthouse, built on the Brittany coast, at a place where he would certainly survive the times. After an investigation, a commission chose the site at the Pointe de Penmarc'h. In order to meet the wishes of the donor, justice, the Parisian architect Paul Marbeau was called in to design the decoration of the tower - a first in the modern history of lighthouses.

Construction of the lighthouse

The lighthouse had a budget of 600,000 francs available. He should be 122 meters east of the old lighthouse built. Construction began in September 1893 and were conducted by the company Vabre. Formerly the home of the beacon keeper and a shrine were demolished during the construction work.

The sand came from Toul ar Stêr, the building blocks of Poulgallec, the lime, and its quality was closely monitored, they moved from lime kilns in Marans; He was first transported by ship to Benodet and from there with carts to Saint -Pierre. The Portland cement was obtained from Boulogne -sur -Mer. The Kersanton granite finally came out of Brest, was there initially beaten into blocks and then brought by barge (French gabare ) across the sea to the port of Kérity. The preferred financial reasons sea transport was difficult and took a lot of delays and cost increases according to him, he has extended the overall construction time. But the shortage of labor, especially to masons and tilers contributed to the delay.

The mortar layer of the foundations was coated with tar so as to prevent the penetration of moisture into the masonry. The tower was built with the aid of scaffolding. The granite blocks were launched using a steam engine to the top. The inner wall was covered by a drawn with a backbone chain with opal glass.

The construction work was overshadowed by a serious accident when a chain broke on a frame and seven workers were injured in a ten meter deep reveal. One of them was blinded by the acid, with which he had just handled.

More history of the lighthouse

The inauguration of the lighthouse, which was originally scheduled for September 1895, had to be postponed due to various delays during the construction and finally found numerous celebrations accompanied on October 7, 1897, the fifth anniversary of the death of the donor, instead.

The centenary of the lighthouse in 1997 was celebrated with three days of festivities.

Today the lighthouse is operated fully automatically, the last two lighthouse keepers have acknowledged their service on 19 October 2007, two days after the 110th anniversary of the tower. The tower is open to the public and with almost 58,000 visitors (2006) the most visited tourist attraction of Bigouden and fünfthäufigst visited attraction in the Finistère.

Architecture

The tower stands in a rectangular courtyard of about 80 m by 60 m, which is surrounded by a wall. The wall on the north side, which is not directly exposed to the sea, was built only in 1924 after a storm surge. In the courtyard, the accommodation of the guards and the engine room are housed. The floor of the courtyard is decorated with two large, symmetrical to one another stone images of anchors and five-pointed stars. The railing is made ​​of polished bronze.

The lighthouse is built from the bottom to top as follows:

• A square base of one meter height
• A base of 9.43 m
• A base of 2.96 m
• The Tower of 32.63 m
• A square Sims of 6.81 m
• Campanile of a 4 m
• A lantern of 9.50 m

Its walls are built entirely of Kersanton granite, and its windows of oiled French oak. To get up to the lantern, you have to climb 307 stairs.

Gallery

Roof cupola

Stairway inside

View from the sea