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Phare de La Jument
La Jument
La Jument is the name of a lighthouse at the Northwestern part of Brittany, France. The lighthouse is built on a rock (also called La Jument) about 300 metres from the coast of the island of Ushant(Ouessant), in the middle of the ocean. There is also a very different lighthouse about 3 kilometres to the North: the Nividic lighthouse. They are, together with the Kreac'h lighthouse, the three most famous lighthouses of the region.
History
This section of the coastline of Brittany, on the west coast of Northern France, had always been known by sailors to be a rugged and dangerous area. Being the westernmost point of land, it is a heavily trafficked sealane, and experiences severe weather during much of the year. As such, the area has experienced many shipwrecks over the centuries. One such accident, the wreck of the steam ship Drummond Castle in June, 1896, was responsible for the deaths of nearly 250 people. Between 1888 and 1904, thirty-one ships were wrecked there.
Plans to build a lighthouse on La Jument started not long after the wreck of the Glasgow-built steam ship Drummond Castle in 1896. The building works were privately financed by a wealthy Frenchman who had almost died in another shipwreck. Construction began in 1904 but the lighthouse could not be finished until 1911 because of the sea's often challenging weather conditions.
Photographs story
The lighthouse became well known in 1989 through a series of photographs taken by Jean Guichard.
Over the past century, La Jument lighthouse has effectively increased maritime safety in the area, known to the Bretons as Mer d'Iroise or Iroise Sea. However, the waters off Brittany's west coast still remain one of the most dangerous seas in Europe with frequent violent storms, huge waves and strong currents.
One of those infamous storms on the Iroise Sea happened on 21 December 1989. A front of low pressure coming from Ireland brought gale force winds and huge waves 20 to 30 metres high which crashed spectacularly against the lighthouse.
The waves smashed through the lower windows of the lighthouse, ripped off the front door, flooded the tower and washed away the furniture. Lighthouse keeper Théodore Malgorn decided to take refuge up in the lantern room while waiting to be rescued.
About the same time, photographer Jean Guichard was in Lorient hiring a helicopter to take aerial pictures of the storm. Guichard wanted to fly over the Iroise Sea despite extremely dangerous flying conditions.
The helicopter made it to La Jument and hovered around for Guichard to take shots of the waves pounding the lighthouse. Inside the tower, Théodore Malgorn heard what he thought was his rescue helicopter and hurried downstairs to open the door.
At that very moment, a giant wave rose over the rear of the lighthouse and Guichard took his world-famous shot as the wave smashed against the tower. Théodore Malgorn, suddenly realising that a giant wave was about to engulf the structure, rushed back inside just in time to save his life.
Jean Guichard's 1989 dramatic storm photo shots became an instant hit and earned him the World Press Photo award. La Jument appeared in newspapers and magazines all around the world and Guichard went on to publish a best selling book about lighthouses and a collection of poster prints.
La Jument's poster print has sold well over one million copies, making the Breton lighthouse the most famous lighthouse print in the world.
Lighthouses in Brittany have been automated in the past decades and La Jument itself hasn't had a keeper since 1991. For many years, Jean Guichard's quest was to portray Brittany's maritime heritage before automation took over. Many of his photos are now considered to hold historic value and his work is highly respected in Brittany.
Source wikipedia
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