Aix island lighthouses, Twin lighthouses at Île-d'Aix, France.
The Aix island lighthouses are two structures about 25 meters tall standing on this island off the French Atlantic coast. They serve as navigation points for ships moving through the waters between the Oléron and Ré islands.
These two lighthouses were built to guide ships through a difficult passage between nearby islands. They received official protection as historical monuments in 2011.
These two structures represent traditional French coastal architecture and show how important maritime safety has been to the region. You can see in their design the careful thought that went into guiding ships safely through these waters.
Reaching the island requires taking a boat from the mainland coast, and the lighthouses are easy to spot from the water. You can view the structures from different angles depending on the tides and boat routes in the area.
The two lighthouses work together as an alignment system that helps ships find a very narrow shipping channel between the islands. This simple but effective navigation method was the only way to mark safe passages long before modern electronic aids existed.
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