Far de l'Albir, Mediterranean lighthouse in l'Alfàs del Pi, Spain
The Faro de Albir is an 8-metre masonry cylindrical tower with a gallery and lantern, painted white with a grey lantern, standing in front of a one-storey keeper's house at the eastern end of the Sierra Helada massif, on the cliff edge within the Sierra Helada Natural Park in l'Alfàs del Pi. It is managed by the port authority of Alicante.
The lighthouse was inaugurated on 30 April 1863, built to the 1855 project of engineer Antonio Molina. Two families lived in the keeper's house until the early 1960s, when its operation was mechanised. In 2011 it was restored and turned into an interpretation centre with an art exhibition room and collections on maritime culture and the Sierra Helada natural park.
The lighthouse's name comes from Punta Albir, the cape at the eastern end of the Sierra Helada massif where it stands. Since 2011 the restored building has housed an interpretation centre with an art exhibition room and collections on seafaring culture, the environment and the Sierra Helada natural park. Next to it stand the restored ruins of the 16th-century Torre Bombarda, a four-metre watchtower built to warn of Berber pirate raids.
Access is by a 2.5 km service road, asphalted in 1963, that leads from the built-up area to the lighthouse at the eastern end of the Sierra Helada massif. The site lies within the Sierra Helada natural park, and the lighthouse is managed by the port authority of Alicante.
The lighthouse was home to two families until the early 1960s, when its operation was mechanised and the keepers left. The restored Torre Bombarda nearby, a 16th-century watchtower just four metres tall, was declared a Site of Tourist Interest in 1985.
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