200 YEARS OF THE FRESNEL LENS | Tourism in Cotentin

Published May 03 2023

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the FRESNEL lens!

200 years ago, Augustin Fresnel (1788-1827) installed the very first lenticular device at the top of the Cordouan lighthouse, after several years of research and experimentation. His invention, the stepped lens known as the “Fresnel lens”, revolutionized the field of maritime signaling. Physicist, engineer, architect, brilliant visionary, Fresnel was able to draw inspiration from the theories of his predecessors by readapting them to improve the lighting system of headlights. His work made French engineering shine on an international scale, as the vast majority of lighthouses in the world have since been equipped with the Fresnel lens.

The State Secretariat for the Sea, in partnership with the association “Lighthouses of France”, will celebrate this bicentenary throughout the season by organizing several events: webinars, exhibitions, guided tours, workshops, seminars, conferences… You can find the programming everywhere in France on lighthouses of France.

For the occasion, 13 lighthouses including 1 in the French Overseas Territories were selected, some to present their lens in video capsules, “Tour d'Horizon”, and others for an edition of postcards to also present their lens. Two Cotentin lighthouses were selected to present their lens, a film crew recently went to Cotentin to shoot images of the Carteret lighthouse and Gatteville lighthouse.

This series of video capsules will begin to be broadcast from April 14 with the Phare St Mathieu lighthouse (Finistère).

A new episode of the “Tour d’Horizon” series will be available on social networks (Youtube, instagram et facebook) of the flagship association of France, these 14 episodes will allow you to discover Fresnel lenses across France. The video capsule on the Gatteville lighthouse will be released on August 04, and that on the Carteret lighthouse will be released on September 15.