La Hague lighthouse, Lighthouse on the Gros du Raz rock, La Hague, France

La Hague lighthouse is a stone structure located on the Cotentin peninsula coast in Normandy, serving as a navigation aid for vessels in the waters nearby. The tower guides ships through this stretch of sea with its characteristic light signal.

Built from 1834 under engineer Charles-Félix Morice de la Rue on the Gros du Raz rock, the lighthouse entered service in 1837 after 27 shipwrecks near the raz Blanchard in 1823 alone. Its first optic was a fixed white light; a 16-panel flashing optic replaced it in 1890, and the current double optic dates from 1950. Electrified in 1971 and automated in 1989, it was inscribed as a monument historique on 11 May 2009.

The tower is listed as a monument historique inscrit since 11 May 2009, under reference IA50000604 in the Base Mérimée. In 2019 La Poste issued a Lettre prioritaire stamp bearing the lighthouse. The SNSM station of Goury, with its octagonal shape and two slipways, has stood facing the lighthouse since 1871.

The tower stands on the Gros du Raz rock about 800 m offshore from the port of Goury, so it is not reached on foot; it is seen from the shore and from boats. The SNSM lifeboat station at Goury, facing the lighthouse since 1871, marks the viewpoint. A helicopter platform was added later for maintenance work.

The lighthouse stands on the Gros du Raz rock, the first French lighthouse built on a rock barely ten metres in radius. Its light reaches 19 nautical miles, about 34 km, and since 2019 La Poste has issued a stamp bearing its image. The SNSM lifeboat station facing it has occupied its octagonal building with two slipways since 1871.