Käsmu Lighthouse

The lighthouse on the higher western bank of Käsmu Bay (earlier Kasperwieck) is one of few wooden lighthouses that have come down to our days. The Käsmu Lighthouse, built on the initiative of local ship owners and the maritime school, began working in 1892. It was a building more like a wooden house six meters high with the walls painted white. The height of the light was 8.2 meters and its visibility six miles. Starting from 1900 the Käsmu Lighthouse worked with a blinking light. In 1923 a signal mast was erected at the back of the lighthouse for sending storm warnings to ships at sea. The lighthouse escaped without any damage both from World War I and II. With its green, white and red lights it gave the opportunity of safe entry into Käsmu Bay where ships could find shelter in stormy weather. For centuries Käsmu Bay was considered the best shelter on the Tallinn-Narva shipping route. Despite repeated threats of collapse due to advance of the sea the Käsmu Lighthouse has kept its original appearance. In 1993 burning a light in the lighthouse stopped and the Käsmu lighthouse remained in the maritime register as a day light until 2004 when it was removed from the navigation aids database. Although it is not possible to find the Käsmu lighthouse from sea charts, the unique structure survives as a cultural heritage monument in the landscape. The Käsmu Lighthouse will be 120 years old in 2012.