Farol Cabo Mondego

The Cabo Mondego Lighthouse was first built between 1855 and 1857, under the direction of Ipácio Vielle. It began operating in 1858 with a fixed white light using a 2nd order Fresnel lens and a Carcel oil lamp. Due to poor visibility and mining interests, it was later demolished and rebuilt further north. The new lighthouse was inaugurated on November 20, 1922, featuring a 3rd order rotating optical system powered by a clockwork mechanism. Its white light produced groups of four flashes using petroleum vapor incandescence. Electrification began in 1941 with generators, and in 1947 it was connected to the public grid, replacing the clockwork with electric motors. Over the years, the lighthouse underwent modernization and was fully automated in 1988. In 2000, an automaton was installed to manage the light’s characteristic pattern.