La Farola lighthouse

In front of you is Málaga's lighthouse, which nobody in the city calls a lighthouse: it's la Farola. In Spanish, lighthouses are usually masculine – el faro – so this rare feminine name has become a symbol of the city and gives its name to the promenade leading here.

1A lighthouse born of war

Before it there was a wooden lantern here, designed in 1717. The stone lighthouse was designed by the engineer Joaquín María Pery y Guzmán and built between 1813 and 1817, as Spain emerged from the Peninsular War. Back then it stood right at the harbour mouth; today, after successive expansions, it sits in the middle of the port area.

In the mid-19th century a home for the lighthouse keeper was added at its base, and between 1913 and 1915 it gained another storey. The 1884 earthquake put its mechanism out of action, and it had to be repaired.

2Camouflaged in wartime

On 28 August 1936, at the start of the Civil War, La Farola was switched off on the orders of the Naval Command, because its outline served as a landmark for rebel ships and aircraft. It was even painted earth-coloured with blotches to camouflage it. Even so it was damaged and had to be rebuilt in 1939.

In 2023 it was declared a Site of Cultural Interest in the monument category.

From here you can carry on to Malagueta beach or head back to the centre along the seafront promenade.

3What to look for

• The glazed lantern at the top of the tower.
• The keeper's house, with its arched windows.
• The view of the port and the city.