Berlenga Lighthouse
Berlenga Lighthouse
Berlenga Lighthouse sits on Berlenga Grande, the highest point of the granite island in the Atlantic, about 10 kilometers west of Peniche in Portugal. The island is a nature reserve. The white, square stone tower is 29 meters tall and has a balcony at the top; the light sits 121 meters above sea level.
History and construction
Plans for a lighthouse on Berlenga date back to the 18th century, but construction did not start until 1837 and was finished in 1842. After the 1755 earthquake, Portugal formed a Lighthouse Service in 1758 and ordered six lighthouses, but Berlenga was not built at that time. In 1836 the government hired engineer Gaudêncio Fontana to build the lighthouse on the island. The original equipment used 16 oil lamps with parabolic reflectors, rotating by a clockwork mechanism, producing white light with 10-second flashes that could be hard to distinguish from other lights.
In 1897 a new optical system from Barbier, Benard, et Turenne began to operate, making one rotation every 30 seconds with a group of three flashes. The light later moved from petroleum vapor to electric light powered by generators, increasing the range to about 36 nautical miles. One of the old Fresnel lenses was moved to a nearby museum near Lisbon, and the other can be seen at the Santa Marta Lighthouse museum in Cascais.
Automation and modern updates
The Berlenga Lighthouse was automated in 1985. It received a modern sealed-beam optic, and later upgrades brought LED lighting. Solar power began being used around 2000, and in 2001 the Lighthouse Directorate won a national prize for its use of solar energy. In 2009, two LED optics were added and a new foghorn was installed, improving performance in bad weather.
Keeper residences
Even though the lighthouse is automated, keepers still live on-site. Since 1975, families have lived at the mainland Cape Carvoeiro lighthouse in Peniche.
Current light
The light has an altitude of 121 meters and, with the current equipment, shines about 27 nautical miles.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 08:08 (CET).