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The dream of a city

Everything was ready for the 33rd World Heritage Committee meeting, held in Seville from 22 to 27 June, 2009.

The Committee assessed 27 nominations, including natural and cultural sites. Only eleven cultural and two natural sites and three extensions of already-listed sites were nominated.

At 18:26 on Saturday, 27 June, the nomination of the Tower of Hercules ceased to be a dream: the Tower became inscribed on the World Heritage List in accordance with Criterion III of the Operational Guidelines. This criterion recognises the exceptional nature of the lighthouse as a unique testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilisation which is living or which has disappeared.

2024 marks the fifteenth anniversary since the effort of decades came to fruition. The process takes back to the Instituto de Estudios Torre de Hércules ('Institute of Tower of Hercules Studies'), which under the direction of José Luis Vázquez Iglesias, Manito, made extraordinary work. The funds of the institution enabled multiple technical studies that became part of an initial record given to the Xunta de Galicia and the Ministerio de Cultura ('Ministry of Culture').

The passing of Dr Vázquez Iglesias in June 2007 did not imply the Institute's disappearance; it continued its work under the direction of Segundo Pardo-Ciórraga y de Santos.

The Tower of Hercules began its journey towards a World Heritage listing in March of 1986, when the legislator and writer María Victoria Fernández-España, supported by the Galician Centre in Madrid, made the first request for this monument to be declared a World Heritage Site.

The idea was taken up again in 1989, coinciding with the events commemorating the 200-year anniversary of the restoration of the lighthouse, led by the military engineer Eustaquio Giannini. The initiative had considerable social response but did not materialise into concrete actions.

In 2001, a new initiative was launched, led by Dr José Vázquez Iglesias, better known as Manito, a passionate admirer of the Tower. Captivated by the monument's exceptional nature that he had so often immortalised with his camera, he decided to create the Tower of Hercules Study Institute to promote the nomination of the Tower.

Through the Institute, Vázquez Iglesias managed to bring together the city's main institutions with the ultimate goal of securing the social and institutional backing necessary for UNESCO to recognise the Tower as a property of outstanding universal value and to approve its inscription on the World Heritage List.

The work of the institute, under the direction of Dr Vázquez Iglesias, was extraordinary, and thanks to the organisation’s funds, several technical studies were financed, which were part of an initial dossier that was submitted to the Xunta de Galicia and the Ministry of Culture.

The passing of Dr Vázquez Iglesias in June 2007 did not imply the Institute's disappearance; it continued its work under the direction of Segundo Pardo-Ciórraga y de Santos, current president of the organisation.

As stated in the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, properties inscribed on the World Heritage List have to demonstrate an outstanding universal value which makes them different from any other property and which justifies the criterion for the World Heritage Committee's decision to inscribe it. In the case of the Tower of Hercules, its outstanding universal value lies in the fact that it is:

The only Roman lighthouse in the world that is preserved - if not completely, undoubtedly more than 60% - and that continues operating today.
It is also a prime example of an architectural intervention on an ancient monument. Eustaquio Giannini organised the restoration of the Tower of Hercules in 1790, applying scientific criteria, showing total respect for the integrity of the lighthouse and preserving its authenticity. For this reason, the intervention, far from detracting from the Tower's value, is an added attraction - it demonstrates the sensitivity and awareness of the men and women of the 18th century when intervening in architectural heritage.

In this way, the Tower of Hercules provides humanity with knowledge of the evolution of maritime signalling technology, from Roman times to the present day. In this respect, the Tower is an exceptional reference that makes it possible to study the development different signalling and navigational aid systems from the beginning of our era up to modern times.

Outstanding Universal Value

Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List have to demonstrate an outstanding universal value that makes them different from any other property and justifies the criteria by which the World Heritage Committee decides to inscribe them.

In the case of the Tower of Hercules, its outstanding universal value lies in the fact that it is the only Roman lighthouse in the world still standing and operating today, and that it is also a model example of an architectural intervention on an ancient monument. The latter refers to the 18th-century restoration carried out by Eustaquio Giannini, who applied scientific criteria, maintaining its authenticity and demonstrating total respect for the integrity of the lighthouse.

In this way, the Tower of Hercules provides humanity with knowledge of the evolution of maritime signalling technology, from Roman times to the present day. The Tower is an exceptional reference that makes it possible to study the development different signalling and navigational aid systems from the beginning of our era up to modern times.