Bob Bolling's Website in Galicia, Northwest Spain

The Tower of Hercules is an ancient Roman lighthouse on a peninsula about 2.4 kilometers from the center of the city of La Coruña - about 30 minutes by car from us. It's the oldest lighthouse in the world which is still in use, and dates from the second century A.D. It has been named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The original construction is believed to have been built during the reign of the Emperor Trajan^(*), on a small hill on a peninsula that is now part of the city of La Coruña. The oldest known reference was written between 415-417 AD by the Roman historian, Paulus Orosius.

The lighthouse remained in use throughout the Roman period, but came to be used as a fort in the Middle Ages. Its first restoration was ordered in 1682 by the Duke of Uceda. A new outer shell was built during the reign of Carlos IV - originally ordered by his father, Carlos III, in January 1788 - in a complete restoration carried out by the architect Eustequio Giannini. It was finished in 1791, adding a fourth story, and giving the tower the appearance it has today.

The remains of the 112-foot Roman structure is enclosed within the 18th century façade. A later addition in 1861 was the huge granite platform which now surrounds the base of the tower.

Tower of Hercules August 09
The Tower of Hercules is an ancient Roman lighthouse on a peninsula about 2.4 kilometers from the center of the city of La Coruña - about 30 minutes by car from us. It's the oldest lighthouse in the world which is still in use, and dates from the second century A.D. It has been named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The original construction is believed to have been built during the reign of the Emperor Trajan^(), on a small hill on a peninsula that is now part of the city of La Coruña. The oldest known reference was written between 415-417 AD by the Roman historian, Paulus Orosius. The lighthouse remained in use throughout the Roman period, but came to be used as a fort in the Middle Ages. Its first restoration was ordered in 1682 by the Duke of Uceda. A new outer shell was built during the reign of Carlos IV - originally ordered by his father, Carlos III, in January 1788 - in a complete restoration carried out by the architect Eustequio Giannini. It was finished in 1791, adding a fourth story, and giving the tower the appearance it has today. The remains of the 112-foot Roman structure is enclosed within the 18th century façade. A later addition in 1861 was the huge granite platform which now surrounds the base of the tower. View of the Tower of Hercules from the Atlantic ^(): Trajan, (Marcus Ulpius Trajanus, 52-117AD), was born near Seville, making him the first Roman emperor not to come from Italy. He was from an old Umbrian family from Tuder in northern Italy which had chosen to settle in Spain.