Feu métallique du môle, Lighthouse at the harbor of Port-Vendres, France
The feu métallique du môle is a metal lighthouse at the tip of the pier in the port of Port-Vendres, in the Pyrénées-Orientales department of southern France. The tower rests on a stone base supported by cast-iron pillars, and its octagonal watch room is made of wood, accessed by an external metal staircase.
The lighthouse was built in 1885 to guide vessels entering and leaving the port of Port-Vendres. Its original spiral staircase was removed after storm damage, and in 1906 the lighting apparatus was replaced with a more modern system.
The lighthouse is seen as a reference point by locals and visitors walking along the harbor quay. Its position at the tip of the pier makes it a natural end point for an evening stroll.
The lighthouse stands at the far end of the harbor pier and is clearly visible from the quayside walkway. It cannot be entered, but walking along the pier brings you close enough to take in the structure from all sides.
During a winter storm in 1887 to 1888, stone blocks torn from the parapet were thrown all the way up to the lantern gallery, some 18 meters above the water, yet the tower itself held. The structure was listed as a monument historique in 2011.
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