The Ciutadella, Punta de Sa Farola or Sa Farola Lighthouse () is an active 19th century

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

on the Spanish island of

Menorca Menorca or Minorca (from , later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Mallorca. Its capital is Maó, situated on the isl ...

. Originally completed in 1863, the tower has subsequently undergone a number of modifications. It lies close to the seaward entrance of the port of Ciutadella on the Sa Farola point, at the western end of the island. On the opposite headland is the Castell de Sant Nicolau, a 17th-century defensive tower.

History

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...

, work started in 1861 and it first became operational in April 1863. It was originally equipped with a 6th order

Catadioptric A catadioptric optical system is one where refraction and reflection are combined in an optical system, usually via lenses ( dioptrics) and curved mirrors ( catoptrics). Catadioptric combinations are used in focusing systems such as searchlig ...

lens displaying a fixed light. It marks the entrance to the old port, but its exposed position has caused problems due to waves breaking over the cliffs, especially during heavy storms when seawater has flooded the lower levels of the buildings. To alleviate this, a high concrete

sea wall Sea Wall or The Sea Wall may refer to: * Seawall, a constructed coastal defence * Sea Wall, Guyana * ''The Sea Wall'' (novel), 1950 French novel by Marguerite Duras * ''The Sea Wall'' (film), 2008 film based on Duras' novel See also *'' This Ang ...

was built facing the open

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

. It became the fourth lighthouse in the Balearics to be electrified in 1918. A 150 watt lamp now provides the light source, with a 400 mm diameter

Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens (optics), lens which reduces the amount of material required compared to a conventional lens by dividing the lens into a set of concentric annular sections. The simpler Dioptrics, d ...

. A second gallery was added to the tower, when it was rebuilt and raised in height to 13 metres in 1979. In 2005 the lighthouse became a registered historical site when it was declared a

Patrimonio histórico español Patrimonio histórico español is a term for Spain's heritage, including National Heritage Sites. The Ministry of Culture has a department, the ''Subdirección General de Protección del Patrimonio Histórico'' ("Bureau of Protection of Historical H ...

. Sa Farola, was depicted as part of a set of six commemorative stamps and a postmark by the Spanish postal service

Correos Sociedad Estatal de Correos y Telégrafos, S.A., S.M.E. (), trading under the name Correos (, "packages"), is a state-owned postal service and courier for Spain and Andorra, the latter bilateral with French-equivalent La Poste. Based in Madrid ...

in 2010. In 2015, there were controversial plans as part of the Faros de España project to convert the lighthouse into a hotel. A demanding set of conditions were set by the Port Authority for any prospective bidder, which included the need to conserve and maintain the building and surroundings. The plans were opposed by a local group, Amics des Fars, who demonstrated outside the lighthouse. As there were no eventual bidders, the process was shelved.

Location

Located on the Cami Sa Farola, which forms part of the Camí de Cavalls a long distance footpath that circumnavigates the island. It is on Stage 10, which passes along the coast, which starts from another lighthouse at Punta Nati, and finishes in the town of Ciutadella.

Operation

With a focal height of 21 metres above sea level, the light which displays a white flash every six seconds can be seen for 14

nautical miles A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( of a degree) of latitude at the eq ...

. The 13-metre tower was originally white but now has a

daymark A daymark is a navigational aid for sailors and maritime pilot, pilots, distinctively marked to maximize its visibility in daylight. The word is also used in a more specific, technical sense to refer to a signboard or daytime identifier that ...

of black vertical stripes, and rises from the side of the keeper's house. The lighthouse is operated and maintained by the

Port Authority A port authority (less commonly a port district) is a governmental or quasi-governmental public authority for a special-purpose district usually formed by a legislative body (or bodies) to operate ports and other transportation infrastructure. ...

of the Balearic Islands, and is registered under the international Admiralty number E0344 and has the NGA identifier of 113-5188. Situated on the Sa Farola point on the western side of the harbour entry, the buildings and tower are easily visible but are not open to the public.

References

External links

Comisión de faros

Balearic Lighthouses
{{authority control Lighthouses in the Balearic Islands Buildings and structures in Menorca Lighthouses completed in 1863