__NOTOC__ Ruhnu Lighthouse (

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...

: ''Ruhnu tuletorn'') is a

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

located on the island of

Ruhnu Ruhnu ( sv, Runö; german: Runö; lv, Roņu sala) is an Estonian island in the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. It is administratively part of Saare County but is geographically closer to the Latvian mainland. At , it has currently fewer than 100 ...

(in the

Gulf of Riga The Gulf of Riga, Bay of Riga, or Gulf of Livonia ( lv, Rīgas līcis, et, Liivi laht) is a bay of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia. The island of Saaremaa (Estonia) partially separates it from the rest of the Baltic Sea. The main con ...

), in

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

History

The first mention of a lighthouse on the island of

is from the year of 1646. The current lighthouse was made in 1877, by ''

Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée Forges or Les Forges may refer to: In Belgium *Forges, Belgium, a village and a former municipality that is now a part of Chimay, Wallonia In France *Forges, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department * Forges, Maine-et-Loire, in th ...

'', a company based in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. According to rumours, the unusual design of the Ruhnu Lighthouse was made by

Gustave Eiffel Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (born Bonickhausen dit Eiffel; ; ; 15 December 1832 – 27 December 1923) was a French civil engineer. A graduate of École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, he made his name with various bridges for the French railway ...

, however no actual proof has been given. The lighthouse's structure is made out of metal, supported by four counterforts. The lighthouse had a gallery and a sentry room, which was destroyed during World War I. The lighthouse was rebuilt in 1937.

References

External links

* Lighthouses completed in 1877 Resort architecture in Estonia Lighthouses in Estonia Ruhnu 1877 establishments in the Russian Empire {{Europe-lighthouse-stub