Eckmühl Lighthouse
Located on the Pointe Saint-Pierre in Penmarc’h, the Eckmühl lighthouse is one of the most visited monuments of Finistère’s maritime heritage. Inaugurated in 1897, it is over 65 metres high and has 307 steps. Its function is to secure one of the most dangerous coasts of France with its numerous rocky reefs and its exposure to the storms of the Atlantic Ocean.
The construction of the lighthouse was financed by the Marquise Adélaïde-Louise d’Eckmühl of Blocqueville, who bequeathed 300,000 francs in her will for the construction of a lighthouse. In exchange, the marquise had indicated that the lighthouse should be named “Eckmühl’s lighthouse” in honour of her father, Marshal Louis-Nicolas Davout, who had won the title of nobility (d’Eckmühl) by winning a battle in Bavaria.
By this gesture, the Marquise wished that “the tears shed by the fatality of wars, which I fear and hate more than ever, might thus be redeemed by the lives saved from the storm”.
A visit to the lighthouse will allow you to appreciate the quality of its construction. Its walls are entirely built in Kersanton granite and the inner wall of its stairwell is covered with opaline plates.
You will also be able to enjoy the exceptional 360 degree view from the lantern on the coastline. Guides are present on site to accompany you in this discovery, night visits are also proposed. Events are sometimes organized there, such as the abseiling of the lighthouse which offers a great dose of adrenaline!