Kõpu Lighthouse (Dagerort, Andreevsky, Lower Dagerort) Lighthouse

(autotranslated, could have mistakes)

The Kõpu Lighthouse (Dagerort) is located on the island of Hiiumaa.

Construction: A four-sided stone tower with buttresses.

Height from ground level: 36 m

Height above sea level: 102 m

Range of visibility: 26 nautical miles*

One of the oldest lighthouses in the world, the Kõpu Lighthouse has warned mariners for centuries about the Hiiumaa shoal, also known as Suurrahuh or Nekmansgrund. Because many ships were wrecked on the Hiiumaa shoal, Hanseatic officials petitioned as early as 1490 to build a structure on the Kõpu peninsula that would be visible from afar and easily recognizable. In 1499, at the Hanseatic Diet in Lübeck, following the loss of numerous ships, it was decided to request permission from the Bishop of Saaremaa to construct a land-based structure on his lands. Construction began in 1505 and continued with interruptions for 26 years. The light on the tower platform was first lit on August 1, 1531.

• Kõpu is undoubtedly the main lighthouse of Estonia. Built in the 1550s by Hanseatic merchants and improved by the Swedes in the 17th century, it is one of the oldest lighthouses in the world. Guidebooks often claim it is second only to the Spanish lighthouse in La Coruña (built during the Roman Empire), but it is actually fifth: there are also the medieval La Laterna lighthouse in Genoa and a couple on the British Isles. Like the wooden Suru Lighthouse, the elegant modern Kõpu looks nothing like contemporary lighthouses—it is an impregnable man-made rock, on whose flat "summit" a large bonfire was once simply lit, and in the 19th century, a lantern tower was added above it. The narrow staircase inside the lighthouse was carved out at that time; previously, the keeper climbed up using ropes.

As an architectural monument, the Kõpu Lighthouse has come a long way from a medieval land-based tower to a structure with modern equipment, its light warning mariners of danger.

• 1 nautical mile equals 1852 meters.

Source 2.

The oldest lighthouse of Russia and the Soviet Union, and one of the oldest on Earth. The Kõpu Lighthouse is located in the southern part of Hiiumaa Island in Estonia. Construction of the lighthouse tower began in 1505 and was completed in 1531.

The Kõpu Lighthouse is a historical architectural monument and is under state protection. The height of the tower is 36 m. Since the tower is located on elevated hilly terrain, the lighthouse fire rises to 102 meters above sea level. The walls of the tower are built from large stones and have a thickness of up to three meters at the base. For construction, more than 5,000 cubic meters of stone and many hundreds of other building materials had to be transported from the shore to the top of the hill where the tower was installed. The total weight of the tower reaches 12,000 tons. Its construction lasted with interruptions for 26 years. In August 1531, the first lighthouse fire—a bonfire—flared up on the summit of the tower. Since then, for nearly 470 years, the lighthouse has kept its watch in the Gulf of Finland, ensuring the safety of ships navigating to the ports of Tallinn, Saint Petersburg, and numerous port facilities along the coast.

Illumination was initially carried out using hemp oil. In 1902, an optical system and a kerosene-burning installation were installed. The optics rotated in a mercury bath. The lighting system was modified several times: bonfires from wood, resin, coal, hemp oil, kerosene-burning, acetylene, and electric (autonomous). In 1970, a state power line was connected to the lighthouse. The range of the lighthouse at night reached 30 nautical miles (almost 55 km).