Hel 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 ...

in the town of Hel,

Pomeranian Voivodeship Pomeranian Voivodeship ( ; ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship, or province, in northwestern Poland. The provincial capital is Gdańsk. The voivodeship was established on January 1, 1999, out of the former voivodeships of Gdańsk Voivo ...

in Poland. It is situated at the eastern tip of the

Hel Peninsula Hel Peninsula (; ; ; or ''Putziger Nehrung'') is a sand bar peninsula in northern Poland separating the Bay of Puck from the open Baltic Sea. It is located in Puck County of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. Name The name of the peninsula ...

and guides ship traffic into

Gdańsk Bay Gdańsk Bay or the Gulf of Gdańsk is a southeastern bay of the Baltic Sea. It is named after the adjacent port city of Gdańsk in Poland. Geography The western part of Gulf of Gdańsk is formed by the shallow waters of the Bay of Puck. The so ...

and the

Bay of Puck The Bay of Puck or Puck Bay (; ; ), is a shallow western branch of the Bay of Gdańsk in the southern Baltic Sea, off the shores of Gdańsk Pomerania, Poland. It is separated from the open sea by the Hel Peninsula. The bay has an average depth of ...

History

The lighthouse on Hel has its origins in the 16th century when a fire was lit on the church tower at a height of to guide ships. The structure burned down. In 1638 locals asked

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

authorities to build a lighthouse on the peninsula. After deliberation, a wooden structure was erected circa 1640, with a range of about . This lighthouse burned down in 1667. Two further attempts at construction failed as well. However, seafaring in this area of the

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages *Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originatin ...

remained hazardous, so around 1790 another effort was made. A site was allocated, including a lighthouse-keeper's residence. The light was to be lit every day. Though effectiveness improved, the lighthouse soon faced the problem of being obscured by growing trees. The construction of the first

brick A brick is a type of construction material used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a unit primarily composed of clay. But is now also used informally to denote building un ...

lighthouse started in 1806. Due to civil wars the effort dragged on until 1826. The brick lighthouse wasn't high enough and ships continued to sink between

Jastarnia Jastarnia (, ) is a resort town in Puck County, Pomeranian Voivodship, northern Poland. It is located on the Hel Peninsula on the Baltic Sea. It is a popular Polish seaside resort and small fishing port. The place was mentioned as "Osternese" in ...

and Hel. A

cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during th ...

was placed at the lighthouse, fired every four minutes, as a sound signal. This continued until the gunner died in 1910. A stone commemorates the event to this day. More improvements followed. The light source switched to a

paraffin Paraffin may refer to: Substances * Paraffin wax, a white or colorless soft solid (also in liquid form) that is used as a lubricant and for other applications * Liquid paraffin (drug), a very highly refined mineral oil used in cosmetics and for med ...

lamp and the structure was renovated.

Electric light Electric light is an artificial light source powered by electricity. Electric Light may also refer to: * Light fixture, a decorative enclosure for an electric light source * Electric Light (album), ''Electric Light'' (album), a 2018 album by James ...

was installed in 1938 in the form of a 3000 watt bulb. 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 ...

Germans decided to take down the structure, since it presented a perfect target for air raids. In 1942

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

ordered locals to erect a new lighthouse. It stood 10 meters to the southeast from the old one (now detonated). The new structure was modern, powered by electricity, and it's been in operation to this day. The 40.8-meter tower is painted red and

octagon In geometry, an octagon () is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon. A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, which alternates two types of edges. A truncated octagon, t is a ...

al in shape. The light source is a 1000 watt bulb, set 38.5 meters above sea level, with a range of 17 miles. The lighthouse is also a part of an air traffic control system. The lighthouse is a

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity on ...

attraction and open to the public during summer. Apart from the lighthouse itself, a few keeper houses remain, dating back to 19th century. Facing west, inland, one can see the Swedish Hill with an old lighthouse built during

to replace the one destroyed in Hel at the same time.

Climate

Gallery

Circular stairs in Hel.jpg, The spiral staircase (180 steps) Hel (DerHexer) 2010-07-13 144.jpg, The lamp Hel (DerHexer) 2010-07-13 147.jpg, Electronics Hel (DerHexer) 2010-07-13 145.jpg, View from the lighthouse

References

External links

The Lighthouses of Poland

Urząd Morski w Słupsku

na portalu polska-org.pl * Hel – Travel guide at Wikivoyage {{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1827 Lighthouses in Poland Puck County Buildings and structures in Pomeranian Voivodeship Tourist attractions in Pomeranian Voivodeship 1827 establishments in Prussia

History

Climate

Gallery

See also

References

External links