Klaipėda’s Lighthouse
Even though the harbor on the Danė River existed from the very beginning of the city’s establishment (1252), Klaipėda had no lighthouse until the very end of the XVIII century.
One of the carvings depicts the progenitor – on a wooden post hangs a coal burning lantern which showed the way to the Danė harbor. Naturally the usefulness of such a signalization contraption was poor. Only in 1796, on a dune on the northern side of the lagoon, did the first lighthouse rise, built according to the project of engineer S.J.Lilienthal. It was rather short. The construction workers built a tower of only 16 meters instead of the projected 25 meters due to a lack of funds. The lighting contraption was made up of 6 bronze reflectors, which reflected the tallow burning lanterns. Boats could see it a mere mile (about 4 km) away and that was only in clear weather. There wasn’t much use from such a lighthouse so shortly after, it had to be rebuilt and heightened (1819). A new and very modern lighting system for those times was set up. Boats could see the lighting signal even beyond 16 sea miles (more than 30 km). There were various optical signals in the lighthouse. If a red flag was displayed from the tower, it informed the boats that entrance to the harbor at this time was dangerous. A yellow one – it’s safe to sail. From 1937 the Klaipėda lighthouse began to send out radio signals.
Before the war, the lighthouse was a symbol of Klaipėda and plenty of tourists visited it. It used to be painted in red and white squares, which is why it was called the red lighthouse (today it is painted with black and white stripes). From the tower’s observation deck, visitors could admire the city and the sea’s panorama.
At the end of World War II, the Germans bombed it as they were retreating. It was shortly rebuilt, and after a few more years it was again rebuilt and upgraded. From the old lighthouse the only authentic remnant is the 4 meter tall pedestal. Today the Klaipėda lighthouse, standing on a 44.5 meter reinforced concrete tower, spreads not only a mighty light signal. Inside there is a modern guidance navigational system. Visitors are not allowed inside. The lighthouse can only be observed from the outside.
At the end of the 19 century – to the beginning of the 20 century, Klaipėda had yet another lighthouse. It didn’t last to our days. At the end of 1884, a small lighthouse was built on the end of the northern pier where a red light burned frequently. It was painted white, which is why people called it the white or the small lighthouse. You can see its image on the reverse side of a 200 Lt bill.
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