Mērsrags Lighthouse (Latvian: Mērsraga bāka) - a lighthouse located on the Bay of Riga, on the Latvian coast of the Baltic Sea.[2] It is located on a headland, stretching as a cape into the Bay of Riga, by a stony shoal.[3]
Location | Mērsrags Latvia |
---|---|
Coordinates | 57°21′57.2″N 23°7′11.78″E / 57.365889°N 23.1199389°E |
Tower | |
Constructed | 1875 |
Construction | cast iron |
Height | 62 feet (19 m) |
Shape | cylindrical hold up by eight buttresses tower with balcony and lantern |
Markings | white tower with red trim |
Heritage | National industrial monument |
Light | |
First lit | 1922 |
Deactivated | 1917 |
Focal height | 85 feet (26 m) |
Range | 15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi) |
Characteristic | Fl W 5s. |
Latvia no. | UZ-375[1] |
History
editThe lighthouse was built in 1875, and is called the Frenchwoman, as the lens, an invention of the French, is used as its signal. The lighthouse was devastated in World War I, when its metal structure was distorted by a fire. The current lighthouse was built in 1922, and is strengthened by eight wrought iron inserts, with the exterior walls sheathed with riveted metal plating.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Latvia". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- ^ "Mersrags Lighthouse". Lighthouse Digest. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ^ "Photographs of the area including the A*shoal". Alamy. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ^ "Latvian Lighthouses". Bakas. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
External links
editWikimedia Commons has media related to Mērsrags lighthouse.