The Tower Of Hercules And The Wind Rose In A Coruña
There are landscapes that we can never erase from our mind due to the mixture of landscapes, colors and shapes that they present. This is the case of the Tower of Hercules, a spectacular place in A Coruña that will not go unnoticed in your eyes. And also with an addition: the Rose of the Winds.
Surely you would like to know more about this place. Thinking of you, as we always do, we are going to tell you everything about this splendid place. Don’t go, come with us!
The Tower of Hercules and its legends
This tower, which also has a lighthouse, stands on a hill in a strategic place on the Galician coast. It was built in the 1st century and has a height of 57 meters. It is the only Roman lighthouse in the world that still works, in addition to the oldest.
There are several legends that surround the Tower of Hercules. Do you want to know some? One of them says that Hercules reached the place where the tower stands today and that in it he buried the head of Geryon, a giant with whom he had to fight and whom he won in a fight. By burying his head there, the symbolism was created that the legacy of Hercules would always be above the Tartessian-Phoenician of Geryon.
Another legend explains that perhaps this is the same place where the Tower of Breogán stood, a tower of mythological origin from where Ith, the son of Breogán, would have seen the Irish coasts.
The last hypothesis tells that Gerión, the giant that Hercules defeated, forced his subjects to give him half of everything they owned, including his children. Tired of this situation, the people looked for a solution and came in search of the help of Hercules, who defeated the giant and buried him by raising a burial mound which he crowned with a torch. Near this, he made a city.
History of the Tower of Hercules
The history of this place is not known, although it is known that the Romans rebuilt it in the first century of our era. It was a lighthouse for navigation and it is known that it was built between the reigns of Nero and Vespasian because it had found remains of terra sigillata and wall vessels dating between the 40s and 80s of our era.
The oldest writings that have been found of the Tower of Hercules date between 415-417 AD. The lighthouse is described in this way:
The theory is being considered that it ceased to be a lighthouse in the Middle Ages and became a fortification. It was not until 1682 when the Duke of Uceda ordered it to be restored. In this restoration, a wooden staircase was built that crosses the vaults until it reaches the highest part, where we can find two small towers that hold the lanterns.
Later, during the reign of Carlos III, a complete reconstruction was completed and then a neoclassical touch was given that was completed in 1791, to remain as we know it today.
The Compass Rose on the Tower of Hercules
One of the characteristics that stands out the most of the Tower of Hercules is the Rose of the Winds, which is located in the same space as the lighthouse. This indicates the 4 cardinal points just in front of the tower. Without a doubt, it is one of the most romantic places in the world and it also has breathtaking views.
This Rose of the Winds is 25 meters in diameter and you can walk on it. It is made of granite, slate and vitrine, representing seven Celtic peoples, which were assigned an image to identify them. A work of art that you will love.
As you can see, the Tower of Hercules is a small place where there is a lot of history that can be extracted. Will you go on your own to have the lighthouse tell it to you while listening to the murmur of the waves in the background? Do not think it!
