Sea gets closer and closer

Storm of indignation: lighthouse threatened with demolition

It was built 121 years ago.(Bild: AFP/Philippe LOPEZ)

On the French Atlantic coast, the striking lighthouse is threatened with demolition as the sea moves closer to the structure. The battle against the tides seems to be lost - to the indignation of many ...

The responsible maritime authority has decided that the La Coubre lighthouse will not be relocated, but will definitely be demolished when the sea has come within 65 meters of it, reported the newspaper "Le Litoral". This unleashed a storm of indignation.

"Save the lighthouse of La Coubre" is the title of a petition launched by Philippe Gigon. "This lighthouse has withstood time and storms and has shown many sailors the safe way over the years," says Gigon. Today, the historic building, which is more than just a landmark, needs support to be preserved.

Coast only a few meters away
The 64-metre-high concrete lighthouse has been standing on the coast near La Tremblade in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region for 121 years. With its beacon visible from a distance of 52 kilometers, it guides shipping along the coast. When it was built, it was 1.8 kilometers from the coast - now it is just under 130 meters.

As the sea level rises, erosion on the Atlantic and other French coastlines is increasing. A warning signal for France two years ago was the demolition of a large vacation complex in the seaside resort of Soulac-sur-Mer, which brought the sea dangerously close. Up to 50,000 homes could be affected by this nibbling of the sea, said the then environment minister Christophe Béchu as the excavators approached Soulac - around 25 kilometers from the now threatened lighthouse.

State buys threatened houses for demolition
Further north in Brittany, in Treffiagat, the state recently decided - for the first time in France - to buy up threatened houses in order to demolish them. Although the municipality only had the dune reinforced with sand at a cost of 95,000 euros in December, the president of the regional authority, Stéphane Le Doarré, told the Ici radio station: "We have to admit that we can't fight." The battle against the sea has been lost.

The lighthouse is a popular tourist attraction.(Bild: AFP/Philippe LOPEZ)

Axelle Da Silva, who has started another petition for the lighthouse, enthuses: "For me, the La Coubre lighthouse is the most beautiful place in France. It is a piece of paradise at the edge of the ocean, a precious monument for sailors, but also for lovers of the wild coast. We must not allow it to disappear. In view of the threat of erosion, I propose its relocation, not its removal."

According to the coastal administration, the date or year in which the demolition will become inevitable has not yet been set. It is a "plan" - the decisive factor is how quickly the erosion progresses.