Świnoujście Lighthouse () is an active

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

Świnoujście Świnoujście (; ; ; meaning " Świna ivermouth"; ) is a city in Western Pomerania and seaport on the Baltic Sea and Szczecin Lagoon, in the extreme north-west of Poland, mainly on the islands of Usedom and Wolin, and Karsibór island, once ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. At a height of it is the fifteenth tallest "traditional lighthouse" in the world, as well as the tallest brick lighthouse, and the tallest in Poland. It is located on the east bank of the river

Świna The Świna (; Pomeranian: ''Swina'') is a channel in northwest Poland, between from the German border. It connects the Szczecin Lagoon with the Baltic Sea separating the islands of Uznam (German: Usedom) and Wolin. It is a part of the Oder estu ...

just inside the entrance.

History

The first lighthouse in the location was built in 1828 when the town was part of the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

and called ''Swinemünde''. The current structure is from 1857. The cross-section of the entire 1857 tower was octagonal. However, in 1902–1903 the tower was restored to repair spalled brickwork. This converted the shape of the tower above the first gallery to the current round shape. The tower was damaged during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 1945, during the retreat of the German troops, an order was given to destroy the lighthouse. However, the German keeper refused the order and the tower survived. The damage was only repaired in 1959, some fourteen years after the town was annexed by Poland. In 1998–2000, for the new Millennium, the lighthouse was restored. It was reopened to the public in August 2000, along with a lighthouse museum in the keeper's house.

Construction

The tower is built of yellow bricks and is unpainted. The base of the tower is octagonal with a gallery. The tower itself is round with a second gallery and a lantern. In clear weather the view from the top gallery is about . Adjacent to the tower is a 2-story brick keeper's house and a museum. There are 300 steps up to the second gallery.

Visiting

The museum and tower are open Monday through Friday.

References

* Listed as "Pilot Tower" *

External links

The Lighthouses of Poland

Urząd Morski w Słupsku

na portalu polska-org.pl {{DEFAULTSORT:Swinoujscie Lighthouse Lighthouses completed in 1828 Lighthouses completed in 1857 Lighthouses in Poland

Lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

Museums in West Pomeranian Voivodeship Lighthouse museums 1828 establishments in Prussia Buildings and structures in West Pomeranian Voivodeship

History

Construction

Visiting

See also

References

External links