Cordouan lighthouse is located 7 kilometres at sea, near the mouth of the Gironde estuary in France. At a height of 67.5 metres, it is the tenth-tallest 'traditional lighthouse' in the world.
The Tour de Cordouan, the 'Patriarch of Lighthouses', is by far the oldest lighthouse in France. It was designed by leading Paris architect Louis de Foix, and is something of a Renaissance masterpiece, an amalgam of royal palace, cathedral and fort. Started in 1584 and finished in 1611, it still stands today. Three stories were added in the 18th century.
It was listed as a historic monument in 1862, and recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2021.
References:The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.