Phare du Créac'h à Ouessant dans le Finistère

Patrimoine classé

Patrimoine maritime

Phare classé MH

Phare du Créac'h

Museums of France

All the maritime heritage of France Headlights classified as MH

Crédit photo : Toubabmaster - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Révolution/Empire

XIXe siècle

Époque contemporaine

1900

2000

1863

Construction and ignition

1888

Lighthouse electrification

1901

Installation of double optics

1937-1939

New lantern and world record

23 mai 2011

Historical monument classification

novembre 2025

Suspension of modernization work

Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The lighthouse of the Creac'h, namely the lighthouse itself in full, the facades and roofs of its auxiliary buildings, the walls, grids and plate ground of its enclosure, elements appearing in the cadastre of the commune, plot No. 1428, section A: classification by decree of 23 May 2011

Key figures

Maîtrot de Varennes - Engineer	Designed the lighthouse in 1863.
Rousseau - Engineer	Supervised the construction of the lighthouse.
Tritschler - Entrepreneur	Completed the construction work.
Georges Martin - Architect	Designed the auxiliary buildings in 1940-1941.
Catherine Chabaud - Delegate Minister for the Sea	Suspended modernization work in 2025.

Origin and history

The Creac'h lighthouse, located on the island of Ouessant in Brittany, was built in 1863 by engineers Maîtrot de Varennes and Rousseau, and contractor Tritschler. At a height of 47 metres, it is equipped with two superimposed lanterns emitting an eight beam light signal with a range of 60 km. It marks the entrance into the English Channel and is one of the most Western lighthouses in metropolitan France, flying remotely several other lighthouses in the region, including those of Nividic and La Jument.

Its name comes from the point of Creac'h, a Breton term meaning "height, promontory". The lighthouse underwent several major technical changes: electrification in 1888, installation of a beacon in 1912, and addition of a new lantern in 1939, presented at the Paris World Exhibition of 1937, making it the most powerful in the world at the time. In 1969, it was equipped with xenon lamps and then with metal iodide lamps since 1995.

The lighthouse is now home to the lighthouse and beacon museum, which has been installed in the former power station since 1970. This museum, which traces the history of lighthouses and maritime signage, has the most beautiful collection of Fresnel lenses in Europe. Ouessant, a place of innovation in maritime signalling, saw the birth here of the first electric lighthouse in 1889 and the first automatic lighthouse. The site has been listed as a historic monument since May 23, 2011, protecting its architecture and scientific heritage.

In 2024, a controversial modernization project to replace the Fresnel lens mercury tank with an industrial fire sparked strong opposition. This project, which would reduce the range of the lighthouse from 30 to 19 miles, was suspended in November 2025 by the Associate Minister for the Sea, Catherine Chabaud, in order to preserve the historical perspective. The lighthouse remains a major technological and cultural symbol for Brittany and France.

The Creac'h Lighthouse is also a place of artistic inspiration. A painting by Michel Patrix, entitled The Phare du Créac'h is preserved at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro. The neighbouring semaphore, disarmed and purchased by the Finistère department, is currently closed pending a future cultural project.