Lighthouses. Majestic giants of the coast. For thousands of years, they have shown the way to their native shores, protected sailors from the dangers of coastal waters, and given a ray of hope for salvation.
Despite technological progress and the 21st century, lighthouses are still an integral part of the maritime navigation system. In addition to the purely technical side of ensuring safety at sea, light beacons attract many as a landmark in any area of the world. A visit to the light beacon for the area where it is located is almost a mandatory point in the excursion program.
Lighthouse de Kereon (Le Phare de Kereon)
Lighthouse de Kereon (Le Phare de Kereon) has rightfully earned its name “Sea Palace”. With particular majesty, this granite fortress stands in the open sea near the island of Oussant. De Keureon is the last inhabited lighthouse, the doors of which closed only in 2004.
An exact replica of the Lighthouse of Alexandria was built in Changsha (China)
Lighthouse, a tall structure in a harbor or in dangerous coastal areas, on which a strong source of light (oil, kerosene, gas, electricity) is placed to indicate the way for ships. Various devices consisting of mirrors and prisms are used to amplify and reflect light over long distances. Lighthouses come with constant or variable (rotating, flickering) light. The famous Lighthouse of antiquity on the island of Pharos near Alexandria had 160 meters. heights, built 283 BC. (one of the seven wonders of the world), survived until the 14th century.
Small encyclopedic dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron.
Alexandria (Faros) lighthouse
Alexandria Lighthouse (Faros Lighthouse) is a lighthouse built in the 3rd century BC. e. on the island of Pharos near the Egyptian city of Alexandria, one of the 7 wonders of the world.
The height of the Alexandria lighthouse, according to various estimates, ranged from 120 to 140 meters. For many centuries it was the tallest structure on Earth.
Lighthouse Chersonesos
The Khersones Lighthouse was founded in 1816 and throughout its long service, reaching more than 170 years, it played and continues to play a significant role in the history and life of the Black Sea Fleet.
The lighthouse was the first to greet the ships of the squadron of Admiral F. F. Ushakov and Vice Admiral P. S. Nakhimov, returning to the port of Sevastopol after brilliant victories. The Chersonesos lighthouse witnessed unprecedented mass heroism of the defenders of Sevastopol in 1942 in battles in the area of the lighthouse. Despite systematic shelling and air bombing, the wounded and heavily damaged lighthouse, until the very last days of the heroic defense of Sevastopol, provided the way for Soviet ships and vessels breaking through the minefields into the besieged city. Already on May 9, 1944, on the day of the liberation of Sevastopol, fire broke out again on the ruins of the lighthouse.
Lighthouse Tolbukhin
Tolbukhin Lighthouse is one of the oldest lighthouses in the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Otlinskaya spit northwest of Kronstadt. It was founded in 1719 and since then, for 270 years, it has been continuously serving to ensure the safety of navigation in the difficult navigation conditions of the Gulf of Finland. The lighthouse was built on the personal instructions of Peter I. In one of the notes to Vice Admiral Kruys on November 13, the tsar ordered: “... to make a stone Kolm (lighthouse) with a lantern on the Kotlinskaya spit. A sketch of the lighthouse tower, personally drawn up by Peter I, has also been preserved; the sketch gives the main dimensions of the tower and a note: “... the rest is left to the will of the architect.”
Lighthouse Petropavlovsky
The date of birth of the Peter and Paul Lighthouse is considered to be July 1, 1850. Constructed from larch forest, the lighthouse was visible from more than 20 miles away. Approximately the same visibility range at night was provided by the light of the lighthouse's lighting apparatus. Its first caretaker was warrant officer Gubarev, who distinguished himself a few years later during the defense of Petropavlovsk. It was from this lighthouse that on August 17, 1854, non-commissioned officer Yablokov gave the first signal that the Anglo-French squadron was approaching Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. After some time, his team entered into battle with the steamship Viraga with one gun.
The Petropavlovsky lighthouse is installed on the north-eastern side of the mouth of Avachinskaya Bay, on Cape Mayachny. Built to support the navigation of ships of the Second Kamchatka Expedition of V.Y. Bering - A.I. Chirikov, the Petropavlovsk Lighthouse continued to operate in subsequent years. The frigates of the largest naval expeditions of the 18th century, D. Cook and F. La Perouse, and the ships of I. I. Billings and G. A. Sarychev, entered Avacha Bay using this lighthouse.
Lighthouse Kolka
The Kolka lighthouse is the only lighthouse in Latvia built on an island. The island is artificially created and is located in the sea. The island was created from stones piled on logs; stones were brought by boat or in winter on sleds on ice from the islands of Kurzeme and Estonia. There is a double wall made of logs with stones inside around the island.
Construction of the island began in 1872 and a fire was lit on the temporary lighthouse tower in 1875. The lighthouse builders said that when driving piles they constantly came across the wooden bottoms of old ships, countless of which sank on the Domesnes Reef.
Marine Temple-Lighthouse of St. Nicholas (Moscow Patriarchate)
The Malorechensky Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is the only temple-lighthouse on the peninsula in memory of those who died on the waters and travelers. The religious building of the temple-lighthouse is located near Alushta in the village of Malorechenskoye on a cliff. It is built on a high cliff above the sea and is visible from many points on the southern coast of the peninsula.
The religious building, the lighthouse temple of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, is located near Alushta in the village of Malorechenskoye on a cliff. The Church of St. Nicholas of Myra is dedicated to travelers and those who died on the water.
Lighthouse Aniva
The Aniva lighthouse was installed in 1939 on the small Sivuchya rock, near the inaccessible rocky Cape Aniva. This area is replete with currents, frequent fogs, and underwater rocky banks.
Lighthouse La Vieille
Lighthouse La Vieille
Tevennec (Lighthouse Tevennec) and La Vieille (La Vieille) - these two lighthouses are the real light gates of the Atlantic coast of France. They protect ships from trouble when passing near the very dangerous place Qndash, which is a long chain of islands and underwater reefs. Until 1875, until the Tevennec lighthouse was installed, a lot of ships disappeared in this place. The lighthouses of Tevennec and La Vieille show ships a safe route to the shores. These lighthouses are mentioned in many adventure stories.
Lighthouse Tevennec
And the Tevennec lighthouse has gained great fame because of its secret, which was revealed not so long ago. Under the rock on which the lighthouse is installed, there is a cave, the crevices of which fill with water during a storm and resonant vibrations of water and air occur, resulting in incredibly eerie sounds. And until the secret of these sounds was revealed, many lighthouse keepers lost their minds due to fear from these sounds.
Lighthouse La Jument
Lighthouse La Jument
Lighthouse La Jument is a hundred-meter lighthouse that stands majestically just in the sea on a small rocky spur. It is located in the westernmost Breton waters on the island of Ouessant (France)
Lighthouse Four (Le Four)
Lighthouse Four (Le Four)
Lighthouse Four (Le Four) is located near the coast of France. This is a huge tower in the open sea, for which even 30-meter waves are not scary.
Lighthouse Akranes
The Akranes Lighthouse is set in the volcanic landscapes of Iceland near Akranes, the country's 9th most populous city. Almost all of Iceland's inhabitants live on the coast due to the mountainous lava desert and glacial topography of the interior.
Peggy Point Lighthouse
Peggy's Point Lighthouse is one of the busiest tourist attractions in Nova Scotia and one of the most recognizable lighthouses in the world. Several decisions are currently being made to protect the lighthouse under the Lighthouse Heritage Protection Act.
Lighthouse Kovalam
The picturesque Kovalam lighthouse is located in India near a popular resort.
Split Rock Lighthouse
Split Rock Lighthouse, located in Minnesota, was built in 1910 after a series of shipwrecks near Lake Superior. It was decommissioned in 1960 and is now a historical monument.
Cape Byron Lighthouse
Australia's easternmost lighthouse is maintained by the Cape Byron Nature Reserve, which acquired and maintained the building in 1998. The site is currently used as a base for whale watching.
Cape Florida Lighthouse
This lighthouse in Key Biscayne, Florida, was created in 1825 to guide ships away from the Florida Reef. Tours of the lighthouse and keeper's cottage are permitted twice daily.
Pigeon Point Lighthouse
You can see this tower near San Francisco Bay, but the lighthouse has been closed to tourists since 2001 due to its poor condition. The renovated caretaker's lodge has served as a youth hostel since the mid-1960s.
Lighthouse on Lake Constance
One of the decorations of Lake Constance, located on the border of Germany, Switzerland and Austria, can safely be called the architectural complex on the pier of the Bavarian city of Lindau. Ships, including numerous passenger liners, enter here through a kind of “gate” formed by a marble statue of a lion installed on the pier, the symbol of Bavaria, and a 33-meter-high lighthouse: it is located on the opposite, western pier. The predecessor of the lighthouse was the Mangenturm tower, which served as a lighthouse from 1180 to 1300. The harbor was established in 1811. The lighthouse, called the "New Lindau Lighthouse", was built in 1853-1856 during the reconstruction of the port, and is considered the southernmost lighthouse in Germany.
- this is the place where light is born and a moment later dies, and this is repeated again and again. Since the famous Alexandria Lighthouse towers sending rays of light into the darkness become a guiding star for sea vessels and an object of delight for tourists.
Navigation equipment for maritime theaters in the form of a tower-type capital structure, designed to determine the location of ships at sea. This building has a bright contrasting color, visually distinguishing it from the surrounding area. Beacons are equipped with a strong light source and, as a rule, are equipped with optical means to amplify the light signal in order to be clearly visible at night.
The lighthouse can also provide ships with sound signals and (or) transmit a radio signal in order to perform its function even in conditions of insufficient visibility (temporary, as during fog, or permanent, for example, caused by terrain conditions).
Due to the use of modern navigation technologies, the role of lighthouses as a navigation aid has decreased somewhat, and currently the number of operating lighthouses around the world does not exceed one and a half thousand.
Alexandrian lighthouse ( Lighthouse Alexandria ) is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the World, which, in addition to architectural elegance, also has a practical function.
The Lighthouse of Alexandria was the tallest structure in the world and was located on an ancient island Pharos. The Alexandria Lighthouse was a guarantee of the safe return of sailors to the Grand Harbour. The height of the Alexandria lighthouse, according to various estimates, ranged from 120 to 140 meters. For many centuries it was the tallest structure on Earth. That is why we will include the lighthouse in the list of 7 ancient wonders of the world.
In 332 BC, Alexander the Great conquered Egypt and decided to found a new capital there, Alexandria.
Maritime trade developed rapidly and the need for a lighthouse that would indicate a safe route to the Alexandrian harbor became increasingly urgent. And as a result, on the eastern tip of the island of Pharos, lying at a distance of 1290 m from Alexandria, a lighthouse was built, which received the name of the island. The connection between the name of the lighthouse and its function turned out to be so strong that from that time the word “pharos” became the root of the word “lighthouse” in many languages. The lighthouse reached a height of 135 m and its light was visible at a distance of 60 km. It was built by the architect Sostratus of Cnidus in 280 BC. on a rock rising on the eastern shore of the island of Pharos.
The lower part of the lighthouse was a tetrahedral prism 60 meters high with a base in the form of a square, the side length of which was 30 m.
Various equipment was stored inside the lighthouse, and the base of the middle part was a flat roof, decorated with huge statues of Triton in the corners.
The roof was a tower lined with white marble. The top of the lighthouse was built in the form of a cylindrical colonnade, headed by a 7-meter bronze figure of the sea lord Poseidon. A huge fire served as the main source of light. The phenomenon of the light range and brightness of the beacon has not yet been established. According to some versions, this effect was achieved with the help of huge polished mirrors, according to others - due to the use of transparent polished stones - lenses.
In May 1100, a strong earthquake destroyed the lighthouse almost to the ground. After this, in the Middle Ages, the base of the Alexandria Lighthouse was built into the Turkish fortress of Qait Bay. At the moment, it has turned into an Egyptian military port, so even archaeologists cannot get to the remains.
Lighthouse Tevennec and La Vieille.
The Atlantic coast of France has been inhabited by the sea, fishing and trade since ancient times. Port Brest - small trading and fishing boats always actively sailed along these shores - to the south of France, to Spain and beyond. But on the way of the sailing ships there was a very unpleasant place - a long chain of islands and underwater reefs, going far into the sea - the Chaussée de Sein.
A huge number of ships disappeared there. And so in 1869 it was decided to erect a lighthouse on the island of Tevennec - the very first dangerous place if you sail from the north to the south of France. It took more than five years to build the lighthouse, and in 1875 a fire broke out on it. Thus, it, together with the La Vieille lighthouse, formed a kind of light gate and the ships had to stay between them.
This lighthouse is located on the island of Ouessant (located at the westernmost point of Breton waters in France). La Jument is built directly into the sea on a rocky spur not far from the shore and has a height of 100 meters.
Several sequential images of the lighthouse taken by photographer Jean Guichard from a helicopter during a severe storm in 1989. The photo shows a lighthouse keeper who, due to the noise of the helicopter, thought that rescue services had arrived and came out of his hiding place. At that moment, a giant wave hit the building. The caretaker almost died, but managed to escape in time behind the steel doors of the lighthouse entrance.
Lighthouse keepers go all the way, from “hell” (lighthouses on the high seas), through “purgatory” (islands) and to “paradise” (the continent) in solitude, and not only metaphysical. In the 20th century, World War I veterans often became custodians; oddly enough, even after World War II this profession was considered “privileged” for war invalids. The current level of technology makes the presence of a person in the lighthouse unnecessary.
In 2004, Kereon (“Sea Palace”), the last inhabited lighthouse at sea, closed its doors with a beautiful mahogany and ebony compass rose. Today no one lives here anymore.
Brittany. Teignouse lighthouse.
Numerous lighthouses in Brittany are faithful guides for sailors, and they speak the same language as fishermen. For example, on the Quiberon peninsula, instead of “burned out” or “sunburned” they say “became like the Teignouse lighthouse” - white with a red nose.
Lighthouse-tower Four (category “hell”), which is able to withstand waves of 30 meters in height.
Lighthouse Four (Le Four). High resolution photo
Lighthouse Ar Men (translated from Brett. “rock”) is a lighthouse on the coastal reef of the Ile de Seine island in French Brittany. It got its name from the rock of the same name on which it was built between 1867 and 1881. The lighthouse is widely known for its isolation and the difficulties encountered during its construction (the lighthouse stands in the open ocean 5 kilometers from the nearest shore, this is the island of Sainte, off the western coast of France), as well as the difficulties associated with the evacuation of personnel from the lighthouse. It is considered one of the toughest places to work in the lighthouse keeping community, earning it the nickname “Hell of Hells.”
The decision to build a lighthouse in a completely impossible place was made after the shipwreck of the frigate Sane in 1859 (at this point in the ocean there is only a narrow passage among the underwater rocks, one of the most dangerous places for navigation, nicknamed the road from hell to hell). The problem was that the only rock in the area on which something could be built protruded only a couple of meters above the sea surface. In principle, this would be enough in calm waters, but the ocean in that place is almost never quiet. Several expeditions returned from reconnaissance missions with the verdict “it is impossible to build.” But without the lighthouse, shipwrecks would have continued and the project was pushed through.
Construction began in 1867, with a group of workers landing on the rock. This is how the preparation of the rock base began (drilling holes and installing reinforcement). People worked right in the middle of strong waves, with safety nets and special shoes so as not to be swept away by the waves rushing over the rock. Short shifts during low tides. This preparation took two years.
The main work began in 1969, laying out granite blocks and pouring the concrete base of the lighthouse from Portland cement, resistant to sea water. 40 hours of work gave one cubic meter of foundation.
Construction took 15 (!) years, and there were practically no disasters or casualties, only in 1981 one of the workers who found himself in the water died (although there were many cases of people being washed into the ocean both during the work and after). During the construction process, there were fears that the structure would be fragile and would not withstand waves, because the size of the rock is only slightly larger than the diameter of the lighthouse tower! But the lighthouse stands, only the walls are etched by sea water.
The first lighthouse signal could be seen on the night of August 30–31, 1881. And it still works, having gone through several technical upgrades.
In the late 1980s, the Ar-Men Lighthouse was electrified and equipped with a 250 W halogen lamp. It was one of the first to be automated, and since April 10, 1990 it has been operating fully automatically.
Lighthouse height:
- Altitude: 33.50 m
- Overall dimensions: 37 m
- Height Length: 33.50 m
Light source
- from October 1, 1897 - diesel fuel (produced on the Ile de Seine island)
- since 1903 - oil vapor
- 1988 - electrification (250 W halogen lamps)
- 1990 - automation
This lighthouse is located in a picturesque location on the edge of the Conquet peninsula.
The tallest lighthouse in Europe is located on Ile Vierge near Plouguerneau. The lighthouse is 82.5 meters high and was built in 1897, and next to it there is a small lighthouse, but it is a little older - it was built in 1845. The Coast of Legends (Cote d' Legende) belongs to the department of Finistere, which is famous for its bays - Aber-Ildut, Aber Benoît and Aber Wrac'h. The lighthouse is located right at the mouth of the latter.
Lighthouse Les Pierres-noires (“Black Stones”).
The lighthouse is located in the city of Conquet in France. It was built from 1867 to 1871. On May 1, 1872, the lighthouse began its work. At that time, 325 thousand francs in gold were spent on the construction of this project.
An active lighthouse in Côtes-d’Armor (France). The height of the lighthouse is 60 m and it is considered the 24th tallest lighthouse in the world.
The lighthouse is located on the rocky reef of Roches-Douvre, which is considered very dangerous due to the fact that during high tide it is completely covered with water and cannot be seen from the surface. The Roches-Douvres lighthouse is considered one of the most distant from the mainland in Europe; it is located 30 kilometers from the French coast.
The building can only be reached by boat from the shore. The lighthouse itself is completely closed to the public.
The lighthouse looks like an ordinary one, but the place where it is located in Alum Bay is distinguished by its fabulous beauty.
Needles Lighthouse in Alum-Bay
The area where the lighthouse is located is a narrow rocky ridge, which in some places rises up to 120 m in height. These rocks have always posed a great danger to sea vessels. But in 1781, merchants and shipowners submitted a petition to build a lighthouse. They received a patent in January 1782.
And in conclusion, a small selection of beautiful lighthouses and simple modern ones, but which are located in very picturesque places.
Lindau Lighthouse. Lake Constance. The height of the lighthouse is 33 meters. Bavaria, Germany
Hook Head Lighthouse, Ireland
- The most famous incident involving lighthouses was the mysterious disappearance of three lighthouse keepers on the Flannan Islands at the same time in December 1900.
- In France, the coastline was not marked with lights until the 17th century, this was done to prevent attacks by pirates.
- One of the few that is still operating, the lighthouse church is the Ascension Church, built in 1867 on Sekirnaya Mountain of the Bolshoi Solovetsky Island (see Solovetsky Islands).
- The Statue of Liberty was used as a lighthouse from 1886 to 1902.
- The westernmost lighthouse in Russia, built in 1813-1816, is located in the city of Baltiysk. It shows the way to ships heading to the ports of Baltiysk, Svetly and Kaliningrad.
- The Westerlichttoren lighthouse was featured on the Dutch 250 guilder banknote.
- The first recorded lighthouse was the Lighthouse of Alexandria, built in 200 BC on the island of Pharos by the Egyptian Emperor Ptolemy. The Foros Lighthouse is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The height of the lighthouse was 150 meters (492 feet) - about three times higher than modern lighthouses.
- Roman emperors built many lighthouses to help their troops navigate. In 90 AD e. Emperor Caligula ordered the construction of a lighthouse in Dover, England. This lighthouse is considered to be the oldest lighthouse in England and it still stands at the base of Dover Castle.
- In 1543, the tallest brick lighthouse in the world, Lanterna in Genoa, was built. Its height is 75 m (246 ft).
- The first stone lighthouse in the world is believed to be Smeaton Eddystone, which is located south of Plymouth, England. This lighthouse was built in 1756 by the father of English town planning, John Smeaton. He lit it with 24 candles. Eddystone stood for 47 years until it caught fire, after which it was dismantled and built on a nearby rock.
- Today the equivalent of a lighthouse light is about 20 million candles. And modern lighthouses operate on high-pressure xenon lamps.
- The tallest lighthouse in the world is the steel tower at Yamashita Park in Yokohama. Its height is 106 meters (348 feet).
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Just as medieval castles are memorials of a particular cultural and historical period, lighthouses are testaments to our long-term relationship with the ocean. Although such technology is still used, new lighthouses look more like modern, functional and unattractive towers compared to structures built in past centuries. Many show decay and neglect, but passionate people around the world have formed groups to restore and preserve this history.
I was fortunate enough to visit the two remaining working lighthouses in Canada to see the beauty of the structure and gain an understanding of what it means to be a lighthouse keeper. I backpacked for a week on the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island, which was originally built to rescue shipwrecked people. While I was thinking, I was completely removed from civilization through forests, swamps and beaches, I walked straight across the perfectly trimmed lawn of the lighthouse keeper's house. It was a welcome place to stay and the owners welcomed visitors and told us the history of their lighthouse.
1. Lighthouse Porthcawl Point
It was the last coal and gas powered lighthouse in the UK. It was built in 1860 and is still used as a navigation aid on the south coast of Wales.
Photo: Capt' Gorgeous
2. Cullens Lighthouse
One of the most famous architectural monuments and the most powerful lighthouses in Scandinavia. The Kullens lighthouse is located on the southwestern coast of Sweden, in the province of Scania.
Photo: Dirigentens
3. Akranes Lighthouse
This old lighthouse is set in Iceland's volcanic landscapes near Akranes, the country's 9th most populous city. Almost all of Iceland's inhabitants live on the coast due to the mountainous lava desert and glacial topography of the interior.
Photo: Atli Haroarson
4. Wind Point Lighthouse
Shining in the port of Racine, Wisconsin, this lighthouse is home to a conference center, conference hall, and part-time village police station.
Photo: James Jordan
5. Umpqua River Lighthouse
This lighthouse on the Oregon coast flashes its classic red and white light. It is now operated by Douglas County instead of the Coast National Guard, but is still used as a navigational aid.
Photo: puliarf
6. Peggy Point Lighthouse
Located in Peggy's Cove, this lighthouse is one of the busiest tourist attractions in Nova Scotia and one of the most recognizable lighthouses in the world. Several decisions are currently being made to protect the lighthouse under the Lighthouse Heritage Protection Act.
Photo: archer10
7. Lighthouse Szczyrmonnikug
This 150-year-old lighthouse is located on an island in the northern Netherlands that is home to a small village and a national park. About 300,000 tourists visit it every year.
Photo: Bert Kaufmann
8. Kovalam Lighthouse
The tall stone lighthouse at Kovalam has a lantern and a gallery at the top overlooking the ocean and the tourist beach.
Photo: mehul.antani
9. Arisaig Lighthouse
According to the photographer, it is “an exact replica of the original Arisaig Point Lighthouse, which burned down in the early 1930s” when its lantern caught fire. It is located in Antigonish County, Nova Scotia.
Photo: archer10
10. Lighthouse Pointe-à-la-Renommie
Guided tours are permitted to the top of this lighthouse, and the reconstructed lighthouse keeper's house displays artifacts that are more than a century old. After the end of its service, the lighthouse was dismantled and stood in the Old Port in Quebec for 20 years, until it was decided that it would be better to return it to its original location.
Photo: archer10
11. Whitby Harbor Lighthouse
This structure sits firmly on a concrete dock northeast of Toronto and casts light on Lake Ontario.
Photo: Rick Harris
12. Lighthouse Ryu
There are more than 70 lighthouses along the coast of Scotland. This one is located in the small town of Ullapool, in the Highlands of Scotland.
Photo: geezaweezer
13. Split Rock Lighthouse
This Minnesota lighthouse was built in 1910 after a series of shipwrecks near Lake Superior. It was decommissioned in 1960 and is now a historical monument.
Photo: chefranden
14. Point Betsy Lighthouse
This is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the United States overlooking Lake Michigan. There is a group of volunteers who are raising money, cleaning up the area and hiring professionals to restore the building.
Photo: jkdevleer04
15. Cape Byron Lighthouse
Australia's easternmost lighthouse is maintained by the Cape Byron Nature Reserve, which acquired and maintained the building in 1998. The site is currently used as a base for whale watching.
Photo: Paul Bica
16. Lighthouse Wittenbergen
Built in 1900, it is one of the oldest examples of steel construction when it comes to lighthouses. It is still active on the north bank of the Elbe in Wittenbergen, northern Germany.
Photo: elbfoto
17. Lorraine Lighthouse
The Port of Lorain Foundation owns and operates this lighthouse above Lake Erie, on the Ohio coast.
Photo: ronnie44052
18. Cape Florida Lighthouse
This lighthouse in Key Biscayne, Florida, was created in 1825 to guide ships away from the Florida Reef. Tours of the lighthouse and keeper's cottage are permitted twice daily.
Photo: sporadic
19. Cape Santa Maria Lighthouse
Located in Uruguay, this lighthouse was built in 1881 and has significantly reduced the number of shipwrecks in the area. There are 150 steps leading to the top, and the building itself is open to tourists.
Photo: Libertinus
20. Pigeon Point Lighthouse
You can see this tower near San Francisco Bay, but the lighthouse has been closed to tourists since 2001 due to its poor condition. The renovated caretaker's lodge has served as a youth hostel since the mid-1960s.
Photo: The Wandering Angel
21. Portland Head Lighthouse
The original lighthouse here was built in 1790. The current structure is operated by the city of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, and is a tourist attraction with a museum, gift shop and acres of surrounding parks and trails.
Photo: James Jordan
22. Walton Harbor Lighthouse
This Nova Scotia lighthouse was shut down in 1986 and is currently used as a translation center.
Photo: archer10
23. Holland Harbor Lighthouse
The first lighthouse on this site in Ottawa County, Michigan was a small, square wooden building built in 1872. The modern building, known as “Big Red,” was built in 1907, and citizens petitioned to save it from demolition in the 1970s. It is currently preserved and restored by the Holland Harbor Lighthouse Historical Commission.
Photo: jkdevleer04
You are reading this, and at this time they are shining - the most unusual lighthouses.
Lighthouses are one of those structures that, for people living far from the coasts, remain only some functional buildings that do not play any role in their everyday life.
I may live in a small city in the center of the continent, but lighthouses have always attracted me. They are the ones that seem to me to be the coolest towers of all existing ones. Lighthouses in this world are simply pillars, sources of light! In function and meaning.
Let's take an interest today: which of the lighthouses are the most unusual.
1. Flannan Lighthouse (Scotland)
An unusual story took place at this lighthouse, which required the attention of a detective of the Sherlock Holmes level. But this did not happen in those days and in this place. The story involves three disappearing lighthouse keepers on the Flannan Islands in 1900.
There is a lot of mysterious and strange things in the history of the Flannan lighthouse, and no one still knows where the people went. All the proposed and logical versions were broken by some fact of the event, which shattered the logic of this version to smithereens.
As you understand, there have been many attempts to shed light on the mystery of the lighthouse on the Flannan Islands over the years, including paranormal versions. But the truth is still somewhere nearby...
2. Thridrangar Lighthouse on the Westman Islands (Iceland)
It is considered the most inaccessible and secluded. Now the lighthouse staff gets to the island by helicopter. But when it was built in 1939, only the rock climbing method was used. Can you imagine how hard and dangerous work it was?
Local writer Yrsa Sigurðardóttir has created a mystery novel called Why Did you Lie?, set at Thrídrangar Lighthouse. I haven’t read the book myself yet, but I know that it became an Icelandic bestseller. Still would!!!
3. Lighthouse Church
Built more than 150 years ago on the Solovetsky Islands. It is an active Orthodox Church. This is the Church of the Ascension, part of the Solovetsky Monastery, located on Sekirnaya Mountain on the Big Island.
The lighthouse is located at an altitude of 98 meters, which makes it the highest in the entire White Sea, visibility of light is as much as 10 miles.
4. The Statue of Liberty – although briefly, was a beacon
According to some information, the Statue of Liberty was originally conceived by its creator, the French sculptor Bartholdi, as a lighthouse. The American statue, a symbol of freedom illuminating the world, served as a beacon and navigational landmark from its discovery in 1886 until 1902. All ships sailing to New York headed towards its light.
It is only logical that the American lighthouse service was responsible for the main symbol of freedom in America. The Statue of Liberty lighthouse was maintained by 3 keepers, taking turns maintaining the fire of a free torch. Further, apparently, there was not enough strength...
5. The lighthouse caught the money
The lighthouse with the difficult-to-pronounce name Westerlichttoren can be seen on the Dutch 250 guilder banknote. But what ends up in the money is usually iconic objects and personalities, this is what and who the country is proud of.
Although by world standards, the lighthouse is average - the height of the tower is 50 meters, and the lantern itself is located at a level of 58 meters. It’s just that in the Netherlands there is no higher...
6. The tallest lighthouse (competition: who has the highest?)
Some people still think that the tallest lighthouse in the world is the Japanese steel tower in Yamashita Park in Yokohama. This may have been the case for a long time. And now he is one of... because his height Total 106 meters.
Today, the tallest (133 meters high!!!) lighthouse was built in Saudi Arabia (Mecca province, seaport of Jeddah).
In general, Arab countries in recent decades have been very actively trying to “outdo” each other in terms of getting into the Guinness Book of Records. Now in the same Jeddah, for example, the tallest skyscraper is being built (its height according to the plan is 1000 meters), which has already been called the Royal Tower.
The lighthouse in Jeddah is operational; it is a cylindrical tower with a spherical observation building with a balcony at the top. That's it for tourists!
7. KAUST – the most innovative lighthouse
KAUST is the abbreviation of the university, the complex of which is located in Mecca, in the city of Tuval on the harbor. The lighthouse is a hybrid of a tent and a minaret, the height of the structure is 60 meters.
This atrium, intended, among other things, for hosting various cultural events, thanks to the materials used and the “walking wind” effect, is able to maintain natural coolness throughout the hot day.
At dusk, the KAUST lighthouse not only directs a beam of light into the darkness of the sea area, but, glowing throughout the entire tower, acts as a landmark in the surrounding darkness. This is such an innovation!