Lighthouse

It was lit in 1904 (in lighthouse writings we always speak of “lighthouse lighting” to refer to the date of entry into operation, never of “inauguration”). The first lighthouse plan in Spain dates from the mid-19th century, with the arrival of the technological advances of the Industrial Revolution and the liberal currents. The Canet lighthouse belongs to the 1902 Lighthouse Plan. In the past, the signal towers of ports and orographic features were powered by bonfires and lanterns generated by coal or firewood. At the end of the 19th century, refined petroleum oils were used to power electricity, at the same time that the use of electric energy began.

The Canet lighthouse was initially powered by oil and in 1922 it was electrified with a filament bulb and a generator. On October 24, 1936, during the civil war, the lighthouse was shut down to preserve it, although it was used to house an observation post and a telephone exchange, from where all the batteries in the area were coordinated.

The operator (torrero or lighthouse keeper) is an irreplaceable part of the lighthouse. It has to keep watch night and day, which is why lighthouses often include attached living quarters in their layout. The Canet lighthouse corresponds to the rectangular building typology, with a lateral tower in the center of one of the sides and a central courtyard that connects with the tower. It is truncated cone-shaped, tiled, 30 m high on an octagonal base of ashlars. Access to the top of the lighthouse is via a 140-step spiral staircase.

At the moment the lighthouse of Canet is property of the Port Authority of Valencia, and is catalogued to the PGOU of Canet as Good of Local Relevance.