The Far de Formentor or Faro de Formentor is a lighthouse on the Cap de Formentor of the same name, the northeasternmost point of the peninsula and the northernmost point of the island of Mallorca. The lighthouse is a sight and tourist attraction of the island. It is also one of 13 lighthouses in Mallorca that are in operation. The identifier is a group of four white flashes every 20 seconds.
The lighthouse at Cap de Formentor is at the end of the serpentine cul-de-sac that leads from the just 20 kilometers away Port de Pollença through the Formentor peninsula. The tower stands on an elevated steep wall at 167 meters above sea level. The location of the lighthouse allows a view of the 40 kilometers away neighboring eastern island of Menorca on clear days.
The lighthouse was built on the leveled summit on a rectangular base house. The base house is lined with a surrounding terrace and several stairways. In front of it is a place with limited parking. There are other outbuildings north of the base building. The white cylindrical tower shaft tapers towards the top and has two surrounding balconies one above the other. The top is the lantern with a metal dome that can be climbed over a ladder for maintenance purposes. There is a weathercock on the dome. The focal plane of the lighthouse is the highest in the Balearic Islands.
After the construction decision in 1860, around 200 workers needed 2.5 years under difficult conditions to build the lighthouse on the impassable cape. It was only the Italian road engineer Antonio Paretti who opened the area with a road – this was later replaced by a partially very different route. The material was extracted from the quarry at La Puebla and, if the sea allowed it, transported from Alcúdia to the construction site. The construction material was hoisted to over 160 meters using a winch operated by 40 men. The lighthouse is accessible via 272 steps carved into the Moll de Patronet cliff. The construction costs of the lighthouse amounted to over 1.3 million reals. The adverse conditions led to the then Bishop of Mallorca granting permission to work on Sundays. To compensate for the extra work, a provisionally erected altar was erected at the construction site for the workers so that they could receive the Holy Mass on site.
The lighthouse at Cap de Formentor, built by the Spanish engineer Emili Pou y Bonet, was put into operation on April 30, 1863 and originally used a system of catadioptric optical system that emitted permanent light with prolonged flashes every 30 seconds. Olive oil was originally used as a fuel, which was later replaced by paraffin. In 1927 a new lens with a new rotation mechanism was installed. The old one was used in the lighthouse of La Mola on Formentera in 1928. From then on, the gunfire emitted four lightning bolts. In 1971 the lantern and the lenses were replaced again.
The lighthouse was electrified in 1962. However, repeated lightning strikes on the power line put the system out of operation several times, so the decision was ultimately made to operate with two generators. The lighthouse is now powered by self-generated solar power and operated remotely. The base house was converted into a restaurant and serves tourists and visitors for a stop.
