Tour Joséphine, Maritime lighthouse in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, France.
Tour Josephine is a stone lighthouse on the Atlantic coast in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, standing about 8 meters tall with a lantern room roughly 3.5 meters in diameter at its summit. The structure now sits within a public garden that offers multiple perspectives from which to view the building.
Construction of the tower began in 1850 to honor Empress Josephine, and it served as a navigational aid from 1852 until 1880. Following its decommissioning as a lighthouse, the structure took on a different purpose in the region's maritime story.
The tower bears the name of Empress Josephine and reflects her connection to the region. Visitors can sense the importance of this historical figure in local identity when viewing the monument.
The site is easily accessible on foot, and the surrounding garden provides multiple pathways to view the structure from different angles. Visitors should prepare for changeable coastal weather and wear comfortable shoes while exploring the area.
After its decommissioning as a lighthouse, the building was repurposed as an explosives storage facility and earned the nickname Tour à Dynamite. This surprising secondary use shows how the tower remained functionally important to the local community across generations.
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