Lighthouses of Tramontana
Author: Sebastià Bota
Category: Photographic story
Description: The lighthouses that illuminate the waters surrounding the Serra de Tramuntana in Mallorca are located in remote places, once lonely and difficult to access, which gave them a certain aura of mystery and adventure. However, nowadays, they have become popular destinations where you can enjoy panoramic views and spectacular sunsets, becoming authentic tourist icons.
Place: Serra de Tramuntana, Mallorca, Balearic Islands.
Story:
Many years have passed, but I still remember the day we were invited to a dinner at the Punta Avanzada lighthouse, located in the bay of Pollença. It was an early summer evening, with the sea calm, a gentle sea breeze and the table set on the terrace of the lighthouse, which seemed to float in the middle of the bay. From there, we could see the envious glances of sailors passing by on their way back to port.
The lighthouse keeper who invited us lived there and explained to us that in addition to maintaining the lighthouse where we were, he was also in charge of three others: Formentor, Cap de Pinar and Alcanada. At the time, it seemed to me that he was very lucky to be working in such idyllic surroundings. However, he warned me that the profession of lighthouse keeper was destined to disappear.
In the past, the work of a lighthouse keeper was extremely hard: switching the lighthouse on and off every day, carrying large quantities of fuel up to the lantern and starting the rotating mechanism, that required a great deal of physical effort. The lighthouse was not only his workplace, it was also his home. Today, there are only 187 active lighthouses left in Spain and less than 30 are inhabited by lighthouse keepers, including Punta Avanzada. Since the government decreed the extinction of the lighthouse corps in 1993 due to the unstoppable automation of maritime signalling, there are no plans to call for new lighthouse keeper positions. Those that remain are the last vestiges of a profession that belongs to the past and when they retire we will no longer see inhabited lighthouses.
Mallorca’s lighthouses have been silent witnesses to countless maritime stories and experiences. Those that illuminate the waters that bathe the Serra deTramuntana mountain range are located in places that were once solitary and difficult to access, which gives them a certain aura of mystery and adventure. They are imposing lighthouses that stand on cliffs, defying the inclemency of the weather and providing safety to the sailors who sail the nearby waters.
Each lighthouse has its own singularity and charm. The lighthouse of Formentor, on the northern end of the island, suspended on a cliff, arouses the admiration of those who visit it for the first time. Its lantern, located 210 metres above sea level, is the highest of all the lighthouses on the Balearic Islands. Few would imagine that living and working at this lighthouse was a challenging task due to its remote location and difficult access. Before the current road was opened in 1951, the lighthouse keepers had to face the adverse weather conditions and the loneliness of the place itself.
“The sea, nature, reflection and the forced coexistence with the other inhabitants of the lighthouse shaped your character”, said the son of the last lighthouse keeper at Sa Creu, in the port of Sóller in a recent interview. He recalled with nostalgia his life in the lighthouse and shared an anecdote: from his childhood, the only thing he remembers not being able to do was to play football on the terrace of his house, because any ball that escaped would end up irremediably in the sea.
On the island of Sa Dragonera, there are still two lighthouses in operation: the Llebeig lighthouse and the Tramuntana lighthouse. The Tramuntana lighthouse was inhabited until 1961; the Llebeig lighthouse ceased to be inhabited in 1973. The lighthouse keepers would no longer have to spend their dead hours watching the flight of Eleonor’s falcons or the cold skin of the lizards, waiting for the time to turn the lighthouse light on again, nor worry about being isolated when bad weather prevented the lighthouse from being relieved. Nowadays, the former lighthouse keeper’s quarters have been converted into a permanent exhibition on the maritime history of Sa Dragonera.
Today, the lighthouses have become popular tourist destinations, where visitors can enjoy panoramic views, spectacular sunsets and the sensation of being in a place suspended between the sky and the sea. Although lighthouse keepers no longer inhabit these solitary buildings, their legacy lives on through the stories they tell and the breathtaking beauty of these constructions. Some have become true icons. One of the most outstanding is the aforementioned Formentor lighthouse. Its former lighthouse keepers could not have imagined that recently, during the summer months, its access by road has been restricted due to the avalanche of visitors it receives.
For the time being, the lighthouses are still there, in their place, testimonies to the fact that there are still professions and traditions which, despite being displaced by technological progress, are still of incalculable value. Not only for their practical utility, but for what they symbolise: dedication, sacrifice and connection with our history and nature. Just as lighthouses have guided sailors through stormy seas, the teachings of our past can illuminate our path in the present, reminding us that sometimes what seems obsolete hides a deeper purpose and a beauty worth preserving.
