The Amédée lighthouse is an iron lighthouse located on Amédée Island, 24 km away from Nouméa, New Caledonia. At 56 meters tall, it is one of the tallest lighthouses in the world and the first metallic lighthouse constructed in France.

The lighthouse was originally constructed in Paris in 1862 and stood two years in La Villette as a demonstration of its stability. Pre-fabricated iron design was a relatively new method and Monsieur Leonce Reynaud, Director of Lighthouses for France, didn’t have much faith in it. During the time when the lighthouse remained in Paris from July 1862 to June 1864, it became a popular destination for Parisians’ walks. After that it was dismantled and packed into 1,265 crates, weighing 388 tonnes in total. It was then transported along the Seine River to the port of Le Havre for the final stage of its long voyage to New Caledonia.

Photo credit