Press section
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Press releases
The SMIDDEST has published a second book by Pierre Cordier, a guide and lecturer who has been the keeper of the Cordouan lighthouse since 2016. This book retraces the history of the Cordouan lighthouse, its current challenges and its need for preservation.
The 44th session of the World Heritage Committee and its 21 member states have just voted in favour of including the Cordouan lighthouse on UNESCO’s prestigious World Heritage List.
As part of the Cordouan lighthouse’s application for World Heritage status, SMIDDEST and its partners (DRAC Nouvelle-Aquitaine, DIRM Sud-Atlantique, Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Départements de la Charente-Maritime et de la Gironde) are organising a webinar devoted entirely to Cordouan, in partnership with the Institut national du patrimoine.
The application of the Cordouan lighthouse to the prestigious list of World Heritage Sites requires that the image of the monument be used in a manner consistent with its values. This signature will contribute to making Cordouan shine and to consolidating its reputation.
On Sunday 6 September 2020, an exceptional day dedicated to the Cordouan lighthouse, a candidate site for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage list, is being organised at the Sea Museum.
We are pleased to announce that the Cordouan Lighthouse has been nominated by France for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The lighthouse is now competing internationally.
Press kits
The Cordouan lighthouse is now on the World Heritage List in the same way as the Great Wall of China, the pyramids of Egypt or the Taj Mahal. The sentinel of the largest estuary in Europe is recognised as a universal heritage site and enters the history of humanity.
At the time of a UNESCO application, the renovation marks the will of all the actors of the territory to preserve the monument in order to pass on to future generations the patrimonial, technical and human values that it embodies.
Enhancing the cultural, artistic and educational potential of Cordouan, encouraging national and international cooperation and facilitating access for visitors are all ways of honouring the exceptional universal value of this unique lighthouse.
Press articles
A rare event just occurred on the Gironde estuary. On June 11th, 2026, a seal was born of the Cordouan rock plateau. Such a birth is so rare that it lead local authorities to put exceptional protection measures in place in order to garantee the seal’s tranquility during its first weeks of life.
Two of the four last keepers of the oldest lighthouse still guarded in Europe tell us about their daily lives in the middle of the ocean. Their corporate housing is a 400 years old monument that they take good care of.
A tour made of rocks suddenly appears in the opening of the Gironde’s estuary. Being surrended by water when tides are high and standing on a rock plateau when tides are low, Cordouan’s lighthouse almost looks like a castle built in the ocean.
The iconic monument ends up on the second spot of the podium ! Cordouan lighthouse is listed as the second favorite monument for French people. The contest’s results have been published on September 17th on local television.
Resulting of a unprecedented optical engineering, the Fresnel lens has been transforming lighthouses since the XIXth century. Let’s retrace its history and the way it is currently used.
Cordouan, which is the last inhabited lighthouse of France, is not done impressing visitors who climb its 301 steps from april to october. Listed as World Heritage, this architectural treasure stays fragile, particularly because of erosion.
If the weather allows it, Cordouan should be reopening for the season on April 1st. This year, thematic visits centered around the five senses will take place.
Posée à 8 km de la côte, cette résidence royale unique au monde est sublime et mystérieuse. Une visite à ne pas manquer.
Standing 8 kilometers away from the coast, this unique royal residency is sublime and mysterious : a visit that’s not to be missed.
Cordouan has been protecting the Gironde estuary for four centuries. In this historic treasure, Pierre Cordier and Thomas Dalisson carry out a job that no longer exists, having disappeared with the automation of the lights.
Since the Easter holidays, visitors to the “king of lighthouses” have been discovering a completely renovated site.
After ten uninterrupted winters of work, the Cordouan lighthouse reopens its doors. On the calendar are a number of events to discover the restoration work on this monument, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Cordouan lighthouse, which has just been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, stands at the entrance to the Gironde estuary. It houses an astonishing chapel built under Henry IV.
Welcome to Cordouan, the oldest lighthouse in France. It has become a “world treasure” to be protected.
Gironde Tourisme and Le Festin are launching a special edition “La Gironde en 101 sites et monuments”. This article presents the Cordouan lighthouse, particularly through its inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Inspired by the route of the lighthouses and citadels, here is an itinerary that offers an array of viewpoints on the banks of the Blaye and Medoc rivers
Video reports
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