Tower Of Hercules

Up to the 20th century, Farum Brigantium was the name of the Tower of Hercules. A Corua, Galicia's historic Roman lighthouse is located on a peninsula approximately 1.5 miles from the city's center. With a total height of 180 feet pointing toward Spain's North Atlantic Coast, the building surpasses Faro de Chipiona as the second-tallest lighthouse in Spain. The tower of Hercules was originally constructed in the first century AD and was restored in 1788 under the reign of Trajan. The previous tower was smaller and wider than the current tower, hence the two towers were different in design and size. When the tower underwent renovation in 1788, a new 69-foot fourth storey and a neoclassical restoration were added, increasing the height.

Numerous mythological tales about the lighthouse's beginning have been circulated over the centuries. The huge tyrant Geryon was killed by the hero Hercules after three days and three nights of non stop combat, according to a myth that blends Celtic and Greco-Roman themes. After burying Geryon's head with his weapons in a Celtic gesture, Hercules gave the order to build a city there. The coat of arms of the city of A Corua depicts the lighthouse atop a skull and crossbones signifying the buried head of Hercules' dead foe.