Cap d’Artrutx Lighthouse

Historia

The Cap d’Artrutx Lighthouse or Artrutx Lighthouse is an active 19th century lighthouse located on the low-lying headland of the same name on the Spanish island of Menorca. It was completed in 1859 but the tower was significantly increased in 1969. Automated in 1980, the keeper’s accommodation is now used as a restaurant.Cap d’ArtrutxThe Cap d’Artrutx is a cape or headland at the extreme south-western point of the island. It gives it name to the surrounding urbanisation made up of modern villas and apartments. It is located adjacent to the larger resort of Cala en Bosch which lies to the east. Connected to the rest of the island by the Me 24 road, the area is also served by a regular bus service to the nearby town of Ciutadella. The Camí de Cavalls a long distance footpath that circumnavigates the island, passes along the coast to the cape. It marks the end of the stage from Ciutadella and the start of the next section to Cala en Turqueta.HistoryDesigned by the architect Emili Pou who planned a number of lights in the Balearic Islands. It first became operational in July 1859, and was equipped with a 4th order Fresnel lens. The optics were supplied by Henry Lapute of Paris at a cost of 3,250 francs.The original tower was much shorter than that seen today, with a height of only 17 metres. Reverberations from waves entering a sea cave nearby caused problems within the lighthouse producing “tremors in the building and panes of glass in the lantern to shatter”. In 1967, a new maritime lighting plan for the Balearics was drawn up which outlined the need for a higher tower at Artrutx. When the new tower was constructed in 1969, the 34 metre high cylindrical structure was built with four buttresses or ribs, giving the light a unique shape in comparison to others in the archipelago.