Now there are not many working lighthouses left in the world, but interest in them still does not fade. It is worth taking a closer look at the most famous among them. Unfortunately, not all beautiful antiquities have survived to this day. For example, one of the seven wonders of the world, the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria, can now only be admired in pictures, but there are others that have retained their special charm. Here are the six best of them.
Stabnesviti lighthouse in Iceland
Dondra lighthouse in Sri Lanka
This lighthouse is located in a wonderful exotic location on Cape Dondra and is one of the highest on the entire coast of southeast Asia. The structure was erected in 1889 by order of William Douglas, an employee of the British Imperial Lighthouse Service. All the building material necessary for the construction of this structure was specially delivered from England. The granite slabs from which the walls of the lighthouse were built were brought from quarries in Scotland.
The height of the tower is 49 meters, and to climb to the very top, you need to overcome 196 steps. The lighthouse was built in the shape of an octagonal pyramid. It rises surrounded by palm trees and other tropical plants, blending harmoniously into the surrounding landscape. This facility is still in operation and monitors every day that the fire on the tower lights up on time.
Portland Head Light in the United States
This building is a unique architectural monument of America. The lighthouse has stood on the ocean coast for about two hundred years. Initially, his lamp, which gave a signal to passing ships, was powered by whale oil. Since then, everything has changed - electricity was installed to the tower, and some reconstruction was also carried out.
The last renovation was carried out in 1970, when the lighthouse was damaged by a hurricane. It was possible to preserve the residence of the very first sailor's caretaker - now there is a museum in it. This place is very popular with tourists who travel from all over the country to admire the beautiful seascape of northern New England.
Jeddah Light is an active lighthouse located in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It is 113 meters high and is now one of the tallest lighthouses in the world. It was built in 1990.
Bell Rock is a lighthouse located on Inchcape Reef near east coast Scotland (Angus region). It was built between 1807–1810 by engineer Robert Stevenson. Today it is the oldest lighthouse built on the reefs. The height of the building is 35.3 m.
Kopu Lighthouse
Kopu Lighthouse is one of the most famous symbols and tourist attractions in Estonia located on the island of Hiiumaa. It was built in 1531 and is considered the third oldest lighthouse in the world. The height of the structure is 36 meters.
Slettnes Lighthouse is a lighthouse located in the municipality of Gamvik in Finnmark County, Norway. This 39-meter structure was built in 1903–1905.
The Tower of Hercules is a lighthouse located in northwestern Spain. The structure is 55 meters high. It is considered the oldest and only Roman lighthouse in use in the world. The construction dates back to around the 2nd century, possibly during the reign of Emperor Trajan.
Kullen Lighthouse is a lighthouse located on a hilltop on the southwest coast of Sweden. It is one of the most famous attractions in the country. The height of the lighthouse is 15 meters.
Fourth on the list of the ten most famous lighthouses in the world, Peggys Point Lighthouse is one of the busiest tourist attractions in Nova Scotia. It was built in 1914.
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is a lighthouse located on Hatteras Island in the town of Buxton. North Carolina, USA. It was built in 1870. It is the tallest brick lighthouse in the United States and the world. The height of the structure is 64 m.
Sambro Island Light
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.
Even if I live in small town 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. Is valid Orthodox Temple. 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 quite logical that main symbol freedom in America was the responsibility of the American Lighthouse Service. 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(Makkah 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 also 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!
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Top 10 highest lighthouses in the world opens - an active lighthouse in the southeast Lake Ladoga, in the village of Storozhno, Volkhov district Leningrad region. This is the fourth lighthouse that was built on this cape. It is a stone tower 71 m high, to the top of which - to the gallery - a spiral staircase of 399 steps leads. The focal plane of the Storozhensky lighthouse is at an altitude of 76 m. Fresnel lenses are used at the lighthouse. The visibility range in clear weather is: white light - 22 miles, red light - 17 miles. According to various sources, it was built either in 1906 or 1911.
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The second tallest among the lighthouses in China. The lighthouse is a triangular tower.
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Mulantou (also known as Hainan Lighthouse) is the highest in China. Mulantou is a functioning beacon that produces two flashes of white light every 15 seconds.
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This is the tallest lighthouse in Russia and the tallest folding (that is, necessarily working in pairs) lighthouse in the world. The construction of a lighthouse of this height on Lesnoy Mole was proposed by Evgeniy Gnitsevich in 1986. This proposal was subsequently implemented. The “partners” of the lighthouse are Lesnoy Mol Stvorny Peredniy (its own height is 16 meters, above sea level - 21 meters) and Lesnoy Mol Stvorny Middle (its own height is 24 meters, above sea level - 26 meters). The lighthouse is located on the territory of the shipyard and ensures the safe entry of ships from the Sea Canal into one of the technical bays of the city.
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The construction of this lighthouse, located next to the old one, took place from 1829 to 1835 with a budget of 332,214 francs. The lighthouse was not damaged during World War II. Currently, it is one of the few lighthouses in France that can be visited and offers picturesque views of the surrounding area.
The lighthouse is still active this moment it uses two xenon lamps with a power of 1600 watts. Usually one lamp turns on, only in bad weather requires the use of two lamps simultaneously.
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The main lighthouse of the Genoese port and the symbol of Genoa. It is one of the oldest surviving lighthouses in the world. With a height of 77 meters, 375 steps lead to its top. Takes second place in the list of the tallest “traditional” lighthouses in the world and is the tallest lighthouse in Italy and the Mediterranean.
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– the tallest lighthouse in Europe and the tallest “traditional lighthouse” in the world. In the immediate vicinity is the “old lighthouse”, 31 meters high, which operated from 1845 to 1902.
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Three record-breaking lighthouses open "Sea Tower"- Japan's tallest lighthouse. It operated from December 2006 to May 2009, after which it was restored and reopened.
Marine Tower (Yokohama Marine Tawa) is a 106-meter lattice lighthouse with observation deck at an altitude of 100 meters. Initially, at night, the tower support itself was illuminated in green and red in accordance with its markings, but now, after renovations in May 2009, the illumination is carried out with white lights.
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It is the second tallest lighthouse in the world and the tallest lighthouse North America and the entire Western Hemisphere. The memorial was built in honor of Oliver Perry, who won the Battle of Lake Erie in 1813, and is also symbol of peace between Britain, Canada and the USA.
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