Far de la Mola

“Far de la Mola” Cultural and Educational Space

Designed by engineer Emili Pou Bonet in 1859 and built in 1860, La Mola's lighthouse came into operation on 30 November 1861. The building has a square base of 20.20 m on each side, and consisted previously of two dwellings, as well as the rooms required for the lighthouse keepers' work and a fence to mark the bounds of the public property.

The lighthouse, or far in Catalan, was equipped with a second-order fixed catadioptric apparatus (i.e., reflecting light and refracting it) that produced a signal stretching 18 miles and providing 270° of visibility from the sea. In 1928 a rotating optic with 12 catadioptric panels was installed which remains in service. In 1971 the lighthouse was connected to the grid and electrified to illuminate a 3,000-watt lamp. It has two backup generators.

The lighthouse lantern is located 11 metres from the coastline and perched 21 metres above ground and 158 metres above sea level. Every 4.67 seconds the steady beam of white light produced is punctuated by a 0.33-second flash –– the former can be seen 16 nautical miles away and the latter, 23 nautical miles away (1 nautical mile: 1,852 metres).

In 2019, thanks to a collaboration agreement between Balearic Port Authority and the Consell Insular de Formentera, part of the lighthouse facilities were converted into the "Far de la Mola” Cultural and Educational Space, which contains a permanent exhibition on lighthouses, the sea and sailing and a multi-purpose room for cultural activities.

https://www.formentera.es/ca/explorar/cultura-i-patrimoni/sala-dexposicions-i-museus/

To learn more:

Javier Pérez Arévalo, El far de Formentera (la Mola), (Editorial Mediterrània-Eivissa, 2001).

Pere Vilàs, Senyals lluminosos de les Pitiüses (Consell Insular d'Eivissa i Formentera, 1992).

Com arribar-hi:
Far de la Mola (mapa)