The Tourlitis Lighthouse in Andros Town stands on an islet and illuminates the route of seamanship for more than 120 years. The picturesque and impressive Tourlitis Lighthouse is also the only one in Europe, built on a rock, in the sea. It was constructed in 1887 and first operated on January 1, 1897. It has a height of 7 meters, a focal height of 36 meters with the luminescence of 11 nautical miles.
The construction was of invaluable importance for the navigation of the era likewise all the lighthouses. It stands opposite the Venetian castle in the capital of Andros, Chora.Tourlitis Lighthouse stands out for yet another reason. The fact that it is Greece’s first “automatic” lighthouse with technology that gave it high credibility because it did not require constant surveillance. During the Second World War, in September 1943, the bombing of the Italian Guard by the Germans destroyed Tourlitis, among other buildings.
In 1950, with the restoration of the Greek lighthouse network, it operated as automatic acetylene on the ruins of the old one. With the donation of the Goulandris family, in memory of their daughter, Violanda, in 1994, it was reconstructed in its original form. Since then it has been operating again as automatic acetylene.
