90th Anniversary of Kunda Lighthouse
ISSUE 1998
MICHEL 322
1909 (station established 1896). Inactive at least since 1999.
Originally this was a 17 m (56 ft) square pyramidal wood tower
with lantern and gallery, mounted on a square 1-story
limestone base. Only the stone base survives.The wooden tower was destroyed by fire in the summer
of 1999.In recent years the National Heritage Board has secured the building and
added a roof to protect it from further deterioration; perhaps the
light tower can be rebuilt in the future. Located near the base of the
jetty in Kunda.
190th Anniversary of Vilsandi Lighthouse
ISSUE 1999
MICHEL 339
Vilsandi Lighthouse was built in 1809. The important lighthouse was
renovated several times, the most recent extensive repairs were done in
1957 and the lighthouse has not changed since. The period from 1910 to
1941, when the lighthouse was managed by Mr Artur Toom, was one of the
most interesting in the history of Vilsandi Lighthouse. He established
the Vaika Bird Protection Area, which grew into Vilsandi National Park.
Interesting facts:
• The height of Vilsandi Lighthouse from its foot is 37 metres and it is 40 metres above sea level.
• Visibility from Vilsandi Lighthouse is 18 nautical miles.
Estonian Lighthouses
Lighthause Ristna, 1874.
Lighthause Kopu, 1531
ISSUE 2000
MICHEL 365-366Zd
The Ristna Lighthouse is located on the Ristna northern cape, which is
relatively close to the Kõpu Lighthouse, which is built on a rise in the
middle of bogs and is therefore often concealed by fog. This was also
the reason that the Ristna Lighthouse was built. It was ordered from
France in 1873 and started working in 1874. A 7-pood copper bell was
also installed in the lighthouse.
When some years ago the Tower of Hercules in La
Coruña, Spain, held the title of the world's oldest functioning
lighthouse, now the honor belongs to Kõpu, Hiiumaa
The 36-meter Kõpu
lighthouse, in the western part of Estonia's second-largest island, was
built in the beginning of the 16th century. According to historical
records, the first firewood was ignited at the top of the lighthouse on
August 1, 1531. The tower served as an important beacon for merchant
fleets of the Hanseatic League that were sailing in the Baltic.
The
lens still in use, floating in a mercury basin, was bought from a Paris
exhibition in 1901. Kõpu lighthouse is visited by nearly 30,000
tourists every year. Hiiumaa's Kõpu, Ristna and Tahkuna are the only
Estonian lighthouses regularly open for public visitation.
Lighthause Mohni, 1871
ISSUE 2001
MICHEL 391
The initial wooden lighthouse build in 1806 on the island of Mohni was replaced by a 20m brick structure
in 1852. Only a few years had passed, when the severe deterioration of
the fabric made clear that the low quality bricks could not handle the
harsh Nordic weather. In 1871 additional 7m were added to the lighthouse
and the whole building was covered with a new layer of bricks. The
lantern room was commissioned from a Latvian factory in Liepaja and the
dioptric apparatus from the Chance Brothers & Co in England.
Due to continuous spalling of the brick surface, the lighthouse was
covered with a reinforced concrete shell after World War II, which was
removed in 1998. Next to the lighthouse, a remarkable number of
outbuildings have survived to this day, which makes Mohni a spectacular
example of lighthouse architecture in its full meaning. The whole
ensemble is also listed as an architectural monument.
Laidunina Lighthouse, 1907
ISSUE 2002
MICHEL 429
The beautiful brick lighthouse together with its outbuildings
(keeper's house, staff house, sauna, storage hut, paraffin store,
cellar, well) on the Sõrve peninsula on the eastern coast of the island
of Saaremaa was built in 1907.
The author of the design is generally considered to be the notable
military engineer Alexander Yaron who at that time was engaged in
lighthouse construction.
During World War I, however, it became clear that the chosen location
of the lighthouse was insufficient. Thus, in 1916 its apparatus was
dismantled and relocated to a wooden lighthouse at Kübassaare.
Today, the outbuildings remain in ruins as most of them were
demolished already in the 1920s due to the lack of building material.
Although the lighthouse has lost its initial function, it is valued
as a remarkable piece of architecture with fine dolomite detailing and
listed as an architectural monument.
Keri lighthouse, 1803
ISSUE 2003
MICHEL 454
In 1718 Tsar Peter the Great ordered 30–50 feet high stone pillars to
be built on the islands of Keri (Kokskär) and Vaindloo (Stenskär). The
construction of the stone body of Keri lighthouse started in 1800. The
octagonal lantern room of the lighthouse accommodated the first
catoptric apparatus with copper reflectors and oil lamps in Russia.
After destruction during the Crimean War, a new tower made of
boilerplate was mounted on top of the existing stone tower. The dioptric
light apparatus devised by Fresnel together with a lantern room were
ordered from Paris and Keri was again the first one in Russia to
introduce a new type of a lighting system.
The modern lighthouse went into operation in 1858. From 1907 Keri was
the only lighthouse in the world to be lit with natural gas, which was
derived from a depth of 115 metres. Unfortunately the gas flow stopped
as a result of subterranean tremors in 1912. Keri lighthouse is a listed
architectural monument but is unfortunately currently decrepit and in
serious need of conservation and repair works.
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Sorgu lighthouse, 1864
ISSUE 2004
MICHEL 478
A brick lighthouse was built on the island of Sorgu (Sorkholm) in
Pärnu Bay in 1904, which replaced the initial wooden beacon, built
already in 1864. The Sorgu lighthouse is regarded to be an outstanding
example of elaborate architecture. The author of the design is generally
considered to be the notable military engineer Alexander Yaron. The
lighthouse and the outbuildings were severely damaged during World War
I. Furthermore, the lighthouse was apparently built of low quality
bricks, as the first attempts to impede the spalling took place already
in the 1920s. The walls were rendered with concrete mortar after World
War II, which not only detracted the aesthetical appearance, but also
increased the structural problems of the fabric.
Today the ensemble consists of the lighthouse keeper’s house, a
paraffin store, a sauna and a cellar. At the moment the lighthouse
stands empty without any function and is in serious need of repairs.
Exceptional for its spectacular architectural detailing, the lighthouse
and its outbuildings deserve to be listed as architectural monuments.
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Juminda Lighthouse, 1937
ISSUE 2007
MICHEL 578
Juminda is the biggest peninsula on Estonia’s northern shore. To
facilitate entry into Hara Bay and Loksa Port an automatic blinking
light was installed at the corner of the border guard observation
platform at the tip of the peninsula in 1931. Six years later, in 1937, a
24-meter lighthouse was put up instead. In 1981 the regime of the
lighthouse was changed to automatic and the visibility of the light was
extended to 15 miles. In 2006 an upper part of eight metal
cylinders was mounted on the former concrete shaft. The lighthouse now
stands 32 meters high, the focal plane being at 40 meters. The Juminda
Lighthouse is a cylindrical metal and concrete tower with a lantern and
two galleries. It is red at the top, black in the middle and white at
the bottom. In 2007 the Juminda Lighthouse will be 70 years old.
Mehikoorma Lighthouse
ISSUE 2008
MICHEL 602
The Mehikoorma lighthouse is the highest on
Lake Peipsi (15m), built of monolithic ferro-concrete in 1938. From the
lighthouse a beautiful view opens up on the village of Mehikoorma, a low
sandy beach, the sparkling water body, the Russian shore at the
distance of 2 km with the houses in the Pnevo (Hanina) village.
Map and Hara Lighthouse
ISSUE 2009
MICHEL 645
The small Hara Island near the western shore of
Hara or Papilaht Bay (earlier Paponvik) is mainly covered with spruce
forest. In 1909 an iron framework lighthouse 15.2 meters high was
erected at the highest point (12 metres above sea level) of the island.
At the time it had a major sprat salting facility with 350 workers where
sprats were salted into tin cans under the name of Revelskiye kilki
(Tallinn Sprats) since 1870. The Tallinn Sprats made in Hara were
shipped to St Petersburg via Loksa Port. Initially the sea mark of Hara
Island was visible to 10 nautical miles. In 1954 major rebuilding of the
lighthouse was carried out as the navigation mark was to be connected
with a new military port. The hight of the tower was increased to 23.7
meters with the red light visible to seven nautical miles. But gradually
importance of the port declined and in the late 1980s the installations
were dismantled from the Hara Lighthouse and it became a day mark. Its
present hight is 24 metres and it consists of a cylinder with a conical
red roof over a metal framework. The tip of the sea mark is clearly
visible over the forest. The Hara Lightouse will be one hundred this
year.
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Suurupi Lighthouses
Suurupi lighthouses (1855)
Suurupi lighthouses (1760)
ISSUE 2010
MICHEL 662-663
The older lighthouse of Suurupi was built in 1760. The round
old-style stone tower was built near the end of the reign of Czarina
Elizaveta Petrovna, this is a magnificent example of classic Russian
Imperial lighthouse design. The lighthouse was substantially rebuilt in
1812 and further renovated in 1858. The round watch room was added in
1951, and the present lantern was new in 1998.
The newer wooden lighthouse date back to the year 1859. It is 15 m
high, square pyramidal, 4-story wood keeper's house with A-frame roof
and painted in white. The light was formerly shown through a window on
the top floor at one end of the building; it has been moved outside to
the windowsill. A miraculous survivor of two world wars and over 150
winters, this remarkable lighthouse is a well-known historic landmark on
Estonia's coastline. The top floor with its lantern chamber was added
in 1885, increasing the tower height by 3.5 m.
Vergi Lighthouse
ISSUE 2011
MICHEL 699
The village in the eastern part of the Vergi Peninsula
was first mentioned in 1539; from 1582 there is a concrete reference
to the Vergi Port. In the late 19th and early 20th century Vergi was
one of the biggest fishing villages on the North Estonian coast,
particularly known as the best eel fishing place. In the 1920s it
served as a wintering place for small ships and it also had a
shipbuilding industry. In 1924 an automatic light pyramidal lattice
frame light beacon covered with iron plating was put up on a large
coastal reef next to Vergi Port. Analogous beacons were erected on
several other Estonian islands, such as Prangli and Muhu. In 1936 a
reinforced concrete lighthouse ten meters high replaced the rust-eaten
structure. During World War II there was no light in the Vergi
lighthouse, but it started blinking again in 1945. Vergi Lighthouse,
which will be 75 in 2011, is a white concrete tower with lantern room
and balcony, 10 meters high from the foot. The height of the light from
sea level is 11 meters and the visibility of the light is nine miles.
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Kyasmu Lighthouse
ISSUE 2012
MICHEL 736
The retired Käsmu lighthouse is situated on the North Coast of
Estonia in Käsmu bay. The lighthouse provided safe entry to the Käsmu
bay with its green, white and red sector lights where it was possible to
get storm shelter near the lighthouse. Käsmu bay was for centuries the
best harbour of refuge on the Tallinn-Narva ship route. The construction
was initiated by the board of Käsmu Maritime School.
Resembling a wooden pavilion, the 6m high white lighthouse started
working in 1892. It was equipped with one-wick kerosene lamp and 5th
Class dioptric apparatus which was visible for 6 nautical miles. The
windows of the lantern room were divided with coloured glass so that
they would emit green, white and red light. By 1922 the improved
lighting was visible for 13 nautical miles. The lighthouse was in
operation until 1993, after which it was used as a day- mark until 2004
when it was excluded from the list of navigational aids. Käsmu
lighthouse is listed as an architectural monument.
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