Tower of Hercules
| Tower of Hercules | |
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UNESCO world heritage 
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| National territory: |
 Spain
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| Type: | Culture |
| Criteria : | iii |
| Surface: | 233 ha |
| Reference No .: | 1312 |
| UNESCO region : | Europe and North America |
| History of enrollment | |
| Enrollment: | 2009 (session 33) |
The Tower of Hercules (Spanish and Gal. Torre de Hércules ) is a Roman lighthouse from the 2nd century in A Coruña , Galicia (north-west Spain ), which is considered the symbol of the city. The city coat of arms of A Coruña (lat. Brigantium ) shows seven shells - as a reference to St. James - and a tower, the lighthouse of the city in an old view.
history
The Tower of Hercules has shown sailors their way since the time of the Roman Emperor Trajan (around 110). The base corner stone has the dedicatory inscription MARTI AUG. SACR C. SEVIVS LUPUS ARCHTECTUS AEMINIENSIS LVSITANVS.EX.VO to the god Mars, which allows the original tower to be attributed to the architect Gaius Sevius Lupus from Aeminium (today Coimbra , Portugal ). The oldest recorded mention of the lighthouse comes from Paulus Orosius in Historiae adversum Paganos ("Stories against the Gentiles"), approx. 415-417:
- "Secundus angulus circium intendit, ubi Brigantia Gallaeciae civitas sita altissimum farum et inter pauca memorandi operis ad speculam Britanniae erigit."
- ("The second angle of the circumnavigation [Spain] shows where the Galician city of Brigantium is located and has built a very tall lighthouse among the few noteworthy structures for viewing Britain.")
Under the Spanish King Charles IV , the tower was restored by Eustaquio Giannini (1750-1814) in the years 1788–1791. The building was given a classicistic cladding. It is the world's oldest operating lighthouse ; it is about 55 m high and stands at a height of 112 m . For views of the Atlantic you have to climb 242 steps.
About 2 km south is the port of A Coruña . The Hercules Tower has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since the end of June 2009 .
Legend
Legend has it that the tower was built out of a rock on which Hercules fought with the giant Geryon for three days and three nights. Hercules won the fight and out of gratitude the lighthouse was built from the rock.
Web links
- Galician side with longitudinal section of the tower
- Official web for tourism in Spain - information about Tower of Hercules (english)
- Entry on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Entry on the website of the UNESCO World Heritage Center ( English and French ).
- ↑ UNESCO press release , June 27, 2009
Historic city centers:
Alcalá de Henares with university (1998) |
Ávila with churches outside the city wall (1985) |
Cáceres (1986) |
Cordoba with Mosque-Cathedral (1984) |
Cuenca (1996) |
Granada with Alhambra and Generalife Palace (1984) |
Salamanca (1988) |
San Cristóbal de La Laguna (1999) |
Santiago de Compostela (1985) |
Segovia with Aqueduct (1985) |
Toledo (1986)
Buildings:
Architecture of the Mudéjares in Aragón (1986) |
Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of Asturias (1985) |
Escorial in Madrid (1984) |
Tower of Hercules (2009) |
Burgos Cathedral (1984) |
Cathedral , Alcázar and Archivo General de Indias in Seville (1987) |
Catalan Romanesque churches in the Vall de Boí (2000) |
Poblet Monastery (1991) |
Monasteries of San Millán de Yuso and San Millán de Suso (1997) |
Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe (1993) | Monumental Renaissance buildings by Úbeda and Baeza (2003) |
Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau in Barcelona (1997) |
Puente de Vizcaya (2006) |
Historic sites of mercury mining: Almadén and Idrija (2012) |
Roman city walls of Lugo (2000) |
Valencia Silk Exchange (1996) |
Works by Antoni Gaudí (1984)
Archaeological sites:
Atapuerca (2000) |
Antequera Dolmen (2016) |
Rock art of the Mediterranean on the Iberian Peninsula (1998) |
Altamira Cave and Paleolithic Cave Paintings in Northern Spain (1985) |
Las Médulas (1997) |
Madīnat az-zahrāʾ (2018) |
Mérida (1993) |
Siega Verde * (2010) |
Tarraco (2000)
Cultural and natural landscapes:
Old beech forests and primeval beech forests of the Carpathian Mountains and other regions of Europe (2017, N) |
Aranjuez (2001, K) |
Ibiza (1999, K / N) |
Way of St. James (1993, K) |
Monte Perdido (1997, K / N) |
Doñana National Park (1994, N) |
Garajonay National Park (1986, N) |
Teide National Park (2007, N) |
Palm grove of Elche (2000, K) |
Serra de Tramuntana (2011, K)
* Expansion of the archaeological sites in Vale do Côa , Portugal;
Coordinates: 43 ° 23 ′ 9 ″ N , 8 ° 24 ′ 24 ″ W.