One of the things that I personally enjoy while travelling around a country is making a point of seeking out less famous but beautiful landmarks. Greece has many iconic sights and attractions, the Acropolis and Santorini among them but it also has thousands and thousands of lesser-known wonders and gems to be discovered all over the country. One prime example is the charming Tourlitis Lighthouse.
Perched on the islet of Tourlitis, a chunk of rock that is located opposite the harbor at Chora, on Andros island, it is an incredibly picturesque sight. Situated around 200m off the coast with a flight of stairs carved into the rocky outcrop on which it is built, it looks a little like something that has been plucked right from some fantastical tale or anime.
Perched on the islet of Tourlitis, a chunk of rock that is located opposite the harbor at Chora, on Andros island, it is an incredibly picturesque sight. Situated around 200m off the coast with a flight of stairs carved into the rocky outcrop on which it is built, it looks a little like something that has been plucked right from some fantastical tale or anime.
The lighthouse was the first modern lighthouse in Greece that has an automated system inside and doesn't require a keeper to reside in it. It is also the only lighthouse to have been built entirely by Greek hands.
The first lighthouse on this site was built in 1897 and then destroyed in WWII. In the interim, a simple scaffold tower was erected on Tourlitis, until the 1990s, when the present was built. A replica of the original, it was commissioned by Alexandros Goulandris, an oil tycoon from Andros island and dedicated by him and his wife to the memory of their deceased daughter Violanda.
Since then, the lighthouse has come to grace postcards and feature in guidebooks and while it is not well-known generally by an international audience, it is the area's foremost tourist attraction. It attracts architecture fanatics and photographers from all over and is one if the must-see attractions for anyone who has found a vacation rental in South Aegean and is exploring the region's beautiful islands.
The first lighthouse on this site was built in 1897 and then destroyed in WWII. In the interim, a simple scaffold tower was erected on Tourlitis, until the 1990s, when the present was built. A replica of the original, it was commissioned by Alexandros Goulandris, an oil tycoon from Andros island and dedicated by him and his wife to the memory of their deceased daughter Violanda.
Since then, the lighthouse has come to grace postcards and feature in guidebooks and while it is not well-known generally by an international audience, it is the area's foremost tourist attraction. It attracts architecture fanatics and photographers from all over and is one if the must-see attractions for anyone who has found a vacation rental in South Aegean and is exploring the region's beautiful islands.