Description of the attraction
The Tower of Hercules is an active lighthouse in the northern part of the city of A Coruña (Galicia, Spain). The name Tower of Hercules originated from a legend that told about the Greek hero Hercules, who, during his tenth feat, fought the giant Geryon for three days in a row and defeated him. In honor of this great victory, Hercules built a tower and brought people from Galatia to live here. This legend circulated in Spain during the 19th and 20th centuries, which is why the lighthouse was named "Tower of Hercules".
The lighthouse was built during the Roman Empire and is considered the oldest lighthouse in the world and the only used ancient Roman lighthouse. The Tower of Hercules is 55 m high and stands on a peninsula, the rocky coast of which rises 57 m above the waters of the Betanzos Bay of the Atlantic Ocean.
The Tower of Hercules is a national monument. And in 2009 it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The site also includes: a small ancient Roman structure, standing directly next to the tower, a sculptural park, cave paintings of the Iron Age in Monte dos Bicos and a Muslim cemetery.
