Do you know the second tallest lighthouse in Spain located in La Manga del Mar Menor? Visit the Cabo de Palos lighthouse and discover its history!
Visit the Cabo de Palos lighthouse and get to know the second tallest lighthouse in Spain
Located in Cartagena and just 1 hour by car from Torrevieja (70 kilometres) we can see the most famous lighthouse in La Manga.
The lighthouse tours organized by the company PlanOut last 30 minutes at 6€ and can be done in English, French, German and Italian.
This company also offers guided tours and all kinds of activities in the area.
This lighthouse in La Manga is considered an Asset of Cultural Interest, so it is open all year round to receive visitors.
If you don’t have a plan for this summer, visit the Cabo de Palos Lighthouse and enjoy the views of the best beaches and coves near Torrevieja.
History of Faro de la Manga del Mar Menor
The Roman historian Pliny the Elder baptized the region currently known as Cabo de Palos with the name Capus Paludis (Cabo de la Laguna) during his travels around the first century A.D.
However, there is evidence that in 2,000 B.C. the territory was already inhabited by a small Phoenician settlement that included a small temple dedicated to the god Baal Hammon, widely represented in the festivals of Carthaginians and Romans.
Even prehistoric remains of the first australopithecus that arrived on the continent from Africa have been found.
After the Muslim invasion, the region was left uninhabited until the period of the reconquest.
It would be then that a new threat would devastate the coasts under the incursions of the Barbary pirates, among which figures such as the famous Red Beard stood out.
This area was populated by a dense Mediterranean understory that these pirates took advantage of to hide and loot the local population centers and demand ransoms for kidnapping.
Over time, King Charles I himself would take matters into his own hands. First, he ordered the forest to be burned and then commissioned the architect Antonelli to build some kind of defense against pirates.
On the one hand, Antonelli would propose building a wall along the coast, but this idea was finally discarded and replaced by the construction of a series of watchtowers.
Among them are the Torre del Estacio, the Torre de la Encañizada and the Torre de San Antonio.
It was not until 1862 when Leonardo de Tejada, an architect from Malaga, proposed the project for the current lighthouse, whose construction would be completed in 1865.
Cabo de Palos Lighthouse Details You Should Know
At 51 metres high, this imposing building is the second tallest lighthouse in Spain after the Chipiona Lighthouse, at 69 metres.
To reach the top of this lighthouse it is necessary to climb around 300 steps.
In the past, to raise fuel to the lamp, it was charged through a well located in the center of the lighthouse.
As far as is known, the lighthouse has never stopped working since it was turned on unless it was turned off on purpose.
For example, during the Civil War, the naval base of the Republic in Cartagena ordered the lighthouse to be turned off in the presence of ships that did not identify themselves.
Without their light as a guide, they ran the risk of crashing into the famous shoals off the coast of Cabo de Palos, belonging to the Baetic system that starts from the Sierra Nevada and reaches the Balearic Islands.
They have caused countless shipwrecks and among them the shipwreck of the North America, the Naranjito and the Sirio stand out.
Even if the headlight is off during the day, its flashlight never stops rotating to maintain its frequency pattern unchanged.
This frequency is 1 second on, 7 seconds off, 1 second on, 3 seconds off and is listed in the World Lighthouse Book.
The Cabo de Palos lighthouse also maintains this same frequency in sound through a radio frequency.
On a clear day you can see Alicante and even Algeria from its viewpoint.
It is also located in front of the Isla Hormiga Marine Reserve, twice named the best diving area in Europe by National Geographic.
To conclude, Cabo de Palos is surrounded by more than 20 coves perfect for enjoying a good swim.
