Recalada a Bahía Blanca Light, Tallest lighthouse in Southern Hemisphere at Monte Hermoso, Argentina.
Recalada a Bahía Blanca Light is a 67 meter tall steel tower with red and white stripes featuring an octagonal pyramidal skeletal frame and central cylinder. The facility remains operational today, sending white light flashes every nine seconds that guide ships approaching the port.
The steel components were manufactured by the same French company that built the Eiffel Tower, and operations began on January 1, 1906. It was constructed to help ships navigate into the port of Bahía Blanca, which was rapidly becoming a major export hub for the region.
This structure symbolizes the maritime connection between Europe and South America, reflecting how vital this port became for international trade. Visitors today can see the craftsmanship of the early steel construction, which represented advanced engineering for its time.
Visitors can join guided tours and climb 331 steps to explore the interior of this still-active facility. The best times to visit are early morning or late afternoon when lighting is better and crowds are smaller.
For decades this was the tallest lighthouse in the southern hemisphere, making it a significant milestone in South America's maritime infrastructure. Though its former prominence is less remembered today, it remains one of the region's most impressive steel structures.
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