Tower of Hercules

The Tower of Hercules stands on a rocky peninsula two and a half kilometres north-west of A Coruña’s city centre. It is a Roman lighthouse still guiding ships into the Atlantic after two thousand years. The surviving core of the tower was built late in the 1st century, probably under Emperor Trajan, and rises thirty-four metres above its foundations. In the 18th century engineers added a new storey, bringing the total height to fifty-five metres. The lighthouse is the only fully preserved Roman beacon still in use anywhere in the world. The tower’s Roman origins are visible inside the masonry, where repairs from many centuries remain. A cornerstone carries the name of Gaius Sevius Lupus, the architect from Aeminium who designed the structure as an offering to Mars. The spiral ramp that once wound around the original tower can still be traced on the restored exterior. UNESCO declared the 18th-century restoration exemplary, preserving the ancient core while returning the tower to service. A sculpture garden beside the lighthouse displays works by Pablo Serrano and Francisco Leiro. Visitors walk the grounds beneath the tower’s powerful beam, which sweeps the Costa da Morte every thirty seconds. A colossal statue of King Breogán overlooks the headland, recalling the myth that his sons sailed north from here to found Ireland. The skull and crossbones on A Coruña’s coat of arms marks the spot where Hercules buried the head of Geryon after their three-day battle. From the top storey the horizon stretches unbroken to the west, where the Atlantic meets the sky.