The Tower of Hercules (Torre de Hercules) - A Coruna, Spain. The 2026 Total Solar Eclipse
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The Lighthouse of Brigantium was constructed at the height of the Roman Empire. In the first century AD, under the reign of Emperor Trajan, a massive infrastructure initiative was launched to facilitate military and commercial trade routes along the Atlantic coast. The goal was to connect western Gaul and outposts such as Londinium (London), and Colonia de Agripina (Cologne) with the Mediterranean. Several lighthouses were constructed, including the massive one pictured below. The lighthouse of Brigantium, later renamed The Tower of Hercules, is the only functioning lighthouse that survives from the Roman era. (Continued below photos)
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The Tower’s fortunes paralled those of the Roman empire. After the fall of Rome, trade declined, and the tower was used as a lookout for Viking raiders. Legends from that time claimed that the tower was built by Hercules to commemorate his victory over the giant Geryon. Later, the tower witnessed the rise of Moorish Spain, the Spanish Reconquista, and the Renaissance.
In 1569, Sir Francis Drake used the Tower as a landmark to help plan and conduct the siege of A Coruna. In 1788, under the reign of Spanish King Carlos III, the Tower was refurbished by the well-known maritime architect Eustaquio Giannini. The lighthouse was electrified in 1926. (Continued below photos)
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For 2000 years, The Tower of Hercules has defined the coastline of Galicia, and guided ships along Europe’s western coast. On August 12, 2026, the citizens of north-western Spain witnessed the most rare and spectacular of celestial events, a total solar eclipse.
For 90 seconds, as the orbits of the moon and sun converged, day became night. These photos were possible because the government of Galicia did not close the grounds around the tower, as was threated. Although a cloudy day was predicted, at 8PM, the clouds thinned just enough for the eclipse to become visible from the ground.
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