CAPE FARO VILÁN

Illuminating all the ships passing along this coast since 1896, it is an essential visit due to its location and the history housed in its museum.

Illuminating all the ships passing along this coast since 1896, it is an essential visit due to its location and the history housed in its museum. Situated 75 m above sea level in a setting of great scenic value, this octagonal lighthouse was the first electric lighthouse in Spain. Today it houses a museum and an exhibition hall.
The Cabo Vilán lighthouse (1896), located in a setting of great scenic and environmental value, is built of stone at an altitude of 75 m and has an octagonal floor plan, some 25 m high, connected by a tunnel to a square building with an interior courtyard, a two-storey building with a simple design that houses different rooms. This lighthouse, the first electric lighthouse in Spain, replaced an earlier lighthouse (1854), located nearby, which was steam powered. Its construction was accelerated following the sinking of the British ships The Serpent and Trinacria in 1890 and 1893 respectively, and pressure from the British government. Today, it is one of the town´s most popular tourist attractions and houses a museum and temporary exhibition hall.