Kiipsaare Lighthouse

Kiipsaare Lighthouse
The lighthouse in 2006
Map
LocationSaaremaa, Harilaid, Saaremaa Parish, Estonia Edit this at Wikidata
Coordinates58°29′45″N 21°50′28″E / 58.4958°N 21.8411°E / 58.4958; 21.8411
Tower
Constructed1933 Edit this on Wikidata
Constructionconcrete (foundation), concrete (tower) Edit this on Wikidata
Height25 m (82 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Shapecylinder Edit this on Wikidata
Markingsstripe (black & white, horizontal direction) Edit this on Wikidata
Light
First lit1933 Edit this on Wikidata
Deactivated1992, 2009 Edit this on Wikidata
Focal height26 m (85 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Range15 nmi (28 km; 17 mi) Edit this on Wikidata
CharacteristicFl W 4s Edit this on Wikidata
Estonia no.EVA 921[1]

Kiipsaare Lighthouse is located on the tip of the Harilaid peninsula on the island of Saaremaa, Estonia, in the territory of Vilsandi National Park.

The lighthouse was built from reinforced concrete in 1933. Its purpose was to warn mariners on the Baltic Sea about the dangers in the vicinity of the peninsula and to be of assistance in taking bearings. At that time the 25-metre-high (82 ft) lighthouse was 150 metres (490 ft) inland, but due to erosion it is now more than 50 metres (160 ft) offshore.[2] A lack of supporting ground has caused the lighthouse to lean.[3]

While in 1988 the waterline was still 11 metres (36 ft) from the lighthouse, by the early 1990s the sea had already reached the lighthouse and it started to incline. Because of this the generator was removed in 1992 and Kiipsaare Lighthouse remained in the records as a daymark until 2009.[4]

The lighthouse played a prominent role in the Estonian World War II film „Somnambuul“ from 2003.

  • Kiipsaare Lighthouse, 2023
    Kiipsaare Lighthouse, 2023
  • Kiipsaare Lighthouse seen from South with the tip of Kiipsaare Nukk visible in the background, 2023
    Kiipsaare Lighthouse seen from South with the tip of Kiipsaare Nukk visible in the background, 2023
  • Long exposure of Kiipsaare Lighthouse by moonlight, 2023
    Long exposure of Kiipsaare Lighthouse by moonlight, 2023
  • Base of Kiipsaare Lighthouse, 2023
    Base of Kiipsaare Lighthouse, 2023
  • Top (lantern room and cupola) of Kiipsaare Lighthouse occupied by cormorants, 2023
    Top (lantern room and cupola) of Kiipsaare Lighthouse occupied by cormorants, 2023
  • Kiipsaare Lighthouse seen from North-East in the early morning sun, 2023
    Kiipsaare Lighthouse seen from North-East in the early morning sun, 2023
  • Kiipsaare Lighthouse photographed from Kiipsaare Nukk, 2023
    Kiipsaare Lighthouse photographed from Kiipsaare Nukk, 2023
  • Kiipsaare Lighthouse at sunset (2013)
    Kiipsaare Lighthouse at sunset (2013)

See also

References

  1. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Southwestern Estonia". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  2. ^ Pranzini, E.; Williams, A.T. (2013). Coastal Erosion and Protection in Europe. Routledge. p. 54. ISBN 978-1-84971-339-9. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  3. ^ Eesti Loodus, Kiipsaare rannad ja tuletorn Archived 8 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine, K. Orviku, H. Tõnisson 2009. 5: 6–13.
  4. ^ "Eesti Post, Stamps, Kiipsaare Lighthouse". Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
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