Anyone who has traveled to southern Argentina, specifically to Tierra del Fuego, and has embarked on a cruise can surely have a photo of Lighthouse Les Eclaireurswrongly called the End of the World, which is in the Beagle Channel.
the emblematic Lighthouse Les Eclaireurs It is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Ushuaia. The tower of this unusual building is made of red and white stone, and since its construction was completed on January 30, 1919, it has defied storms and legends.
The Lighthouse Les Eclaireurs remains intact since they began to dream of him. Its history begins in April 1918, when members of the Argentine Navy who were traveling in the ARA Vicente Fidel López began the survey.
In search of the best place to install a light signal to guide the navigators was projected as the most propitious. Back then, life in Ushuaia depended on the ships that arrived at the port with supplies and provisions..
In this way, it was a priority to put the plan into motion and it was decided that it would be carried out on a group of islets named Les Eclaireurs by the French captain Louis Ferdinand Martial, which means “the explorers”. One of the rocks met the necessary conditions.
The tasks began on December 19, 1918 and after hard work, on January 30, 1919, the work was completed. Finally, this 11-meter-high stone tower was erected, painted in the traditional colors of red and white, and with the lantern located 22.5 meters above sea level.
an idea late
As historians reveal, the Les Eclaireurs lighthouse It only entered service on December 23, 1920 and has been in operation ever since. Currently, it is operated remotely and is provided with lighting equipment based on solar panels.
It was often associated with the famous Jules Verne novel “The Lighthouse at the End of the World”. But this is not the case: the lighthouse that inspired the French writer is located on Isla de los Estados, east of Tierra del Fuego, in Cabo San Juan de Salvamento.