x1200.jpg "#Thessaloniki - #03 Walking Tour - Lighthouse of Angelochori")
#Thessaloniki - #03 Walking Tour - Lighthouse of Angelochori
Where can you see the whole city of Thessaloniki from above?
Sofular is a seaside village located in the southwestern part of the city, on the cape of Karabournou. Today no one remembers it as Sofular, but as Angelochori, a village hosting one of the most important monuments of our industrial heritage.
The Lighthouse of Angelochori was built in 1864 by the French Lighthouse Company. It was built of solid bricks with a height of 10.5 meters and a focal height of 32 meters (distance of the lighthouse from the sea level). Due to its geographical position on a hill at the entrance to Thermaic Gulf, it was used as a military area by the Germans during the Occupation. Due to this use, the lighthouse had been damaged and that’s why its operation stopped. The lighthouse was repaired and started again in 1948, while it acquires electricity in 1863 and could send its signal within 17 nautical miles. In 1998 it is characterized as a protected monument.
Take a good look at the lighthouse in the photos below:
- How is the Lighthouse's building? How many "parts" does it consist of?
- Observe carefully the location. How close or how far is it from the shore? Why was it built on a hill?
- What is the purpose of a lighthouse? Who work there?
Look for the secret paper with the key in the photos below Maybe it will give us some answers!
When you visit the Lighthouse of Angelochori, don’t forget to find nearby the castle that built by German engineers (1883-1885) and see the city of Thessaloniki from above!
Have a good exploration!
Tips:
- Where did the name "Faros" come from? Rumors say that its name comes from the island of Faros in Egypt, where the first tower (with a torch) was built by the Greek architect Sostratos (3rd century BC) Yes, you got it right! It is the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. This was the first lighthouse in the world that remained in its place for 1,500 whole years! Today a similar lighthouse is the Statue of Liberty in New York. Find out more about the history of lighthouses here.
- Explore the other lighthouses in our country through the Lighthouse Network of Greece. Here you can discover all the secrets for their construction and how they work. Do you know any lighthouses in your hometown?
- Did you know that there are lighthouse museums in Greece? Discover more the e-Museum of the Lighthouse of Angelochori, and the Museum of the Lighthouse of Kopraina in Arta.
