With its black and white livery, the Contis Lighthouse doesn't go unnoticed. Towering over the pine forest, it can be seen from afar, well beyond the Silver Coast. It's the only landmark for sailors between Biarritz and Cap-Ferret. It is unlike any other lighthouse on our coasts. It's even said to be the most 'American' of French lighthouses.
An Inland Lighthouse
The Contis Lighthouse is located in Saint-Julien-en-Born in Les Landes, near Mimizan, 40 km from our Camping ***** Le Saint Martin. Built in 1862 by decree of Napoleon III, the Landes lighthouse stands at the entrance to the village, deep in the forest, equidistant from Biarritz and Cap Ferret. The design plans for the structure were entrusted to engineer Léonce Reynaud, who chose to build the lighthouse inland, one kilometer from the Atlantic Ocean, atop a 12-meter dune.
But at the time, the Contis Lighthouse was all white. It didn't yet resemble the large black and white spiraled candy cane emerging from the forest. It was only in 1937 that a local artist named Bellocq, "Memoune" to his close friends, decorated the lighthouse with a black spiral in the shape of an Archimedes' screw.
The Most 'American' of French Lighthouses
There are only three lighthouses of this type in the world: the Contis Lighthouse in Les Landes; and two others in the United States, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (North Carolina) and the St. Augustine Lighthouse (Florida). Suffice to say, a lighthouse like Contis is a rare sight!
The Contis Lighthouse is part of the very select club of "barber's pole" spiral lighthouses that appeared in the late 1800s on the East Coast of the United States. This black and white livery, recognizable from afar, serves as a daymark for sailors, meaning a daytime navigation aid. The term "barber's pole" directly refers to the traditional American barber shop sign (the red, white, and blue pole that rotates).
A Breathtaking View with the Forest on One Side and the Ocean on the Other
To reach the top of the Contis Lighthouse, you must climb the 183 steps of the cast-iron staircase that leads to the cupola. But the effort is rewarded with a magnificent view. At 41 meters high, the view is breathtaking! On one side, the blue of the waves; on the other, the green of the forest, and in the middle, a long stretch of dune and fine sand. Get ready for the 'wow' effect!
Did you know?
The Contis Lighthouse has been automated since 1999, remotely controlled from Bayonne, in the neighboring Basque Country. More than thirty keepers served over 135 years. The last of them, Gilles Bodin, founded a small museum, sponsored by navigator Titouan Lamazou.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
- Address: 212 Chemin de la Lanterne, 40170 Saint-Julien-en-Born
- Open: from April to September
- Admission: €3/adult, €1/child (over 12 years old), free for children under 3
