La Faroleta: Present to Past
Often in our travels we come across landmarks stranded in a foggy past. We look for clues linked to them, take photos and move on. Such milepost sits across the desert of Punta del Fangar in Delta del Ebro. Surrounded by shifting dunes and solitude, La Faroleta lighthouse overviews a 400 ha peninsula. It poses for its sparse visitors and provides a guiding light for sailors all year long. But little is known of its past. In fact, La Faroleta didn’t resemble at all the structure we see today.
It entered into service on 1st of November 1864 as part of a system of three lighthouses built on screw pilons at the mouth of Ebro river. Most renowned was built on Buda island, which, in the inauguration day was the world’s highest metallic lighthouse in service (53 m). Together with Baña and El Fangar, these lighthouses represented an innovative architectural solution of those times.
Unfortunately nothing remained of Buda lighthouse, being burned down in the Spanish Civil War, rebuilt and eventually destroyed by a storm in 1961. An iron model of smaller dimensions was built in Barcelona to be exhibit in Paris at the Universal expo from 1867 and today it can be found in the Polytechnic University of Madrid.
Parking: 40.762029, 0.797454
Starting point of the hiking trail that crosses the desert: 40.7681569, 0.7891843
La Faroleta: 40.790449, 0.768427