Lighthouse on Stora Karlsö - Stora Karlsö, Gotlands Län, Sweden
N 57° 17.380 E 017° 57.522
33V E 678303 N 6353506
The lighthouse on the western edge of the island of Stora Karlsö was erected in 1887 and is still in use.
Waymark Code: WM1650P
Location: Gotland, Sweden
Date Posted: 05/07/2022
Views: 0
With the increasing shipping traffic on the Baltic Sea, a beacon was built by the Swedish government against the will of the owner, the Karlsöverein, on the island of Stora Karlsö in 1886 and 1887 on the western 40m high rocky coast. The design is by architect Johan Höjer and represents the urban architectural style of the 1880s.
In contrast to most lighthouses of the time, the 18m high tower with the beacon is part of the two-storey residential building. Limestone from the island was used as building material. At the beginning of its operation from 1887, only two officials from the royal pilotage office were constantly present, in later years two more officials and their families were added.
Up until the 1960s, the rotation of the lamp with a fourth-order belt lens was kept going by a clockwork and a plumb bob, the clockwork had to be rewound every three to four hours and the fuel for the lamp refilled. After 1960 the lamp was replaced by an electric model with 1000W - the necessary power was supplied by a diesel generator. The rotation of the illuminant was also replaced by two long flashes 12 seconds apart. Depending on the direction, the flash of light appears in white or red. The visibility is up to 13 nm for the red light and up to 16 nm for the white light.
It was only in 1974 that the operation of the lighthouse could be fully automated when the island was finally electrified, and from 1989 the regularly present security personnel were no longer required. In 2010, the system was revised again and equipped with energy-saving lamps. Since then, the Conservation Authority staff, who are regularly on the island, have also been keeping an eye on the site. The island and the lighthouse can be visited only from May to the end of September as part of a boat tour from Klintehamn on Gotland.
| International No. | C 7224 |
| Swedish No. | 425000 |
| ALRHS | SWE-371 |
| Identifier | LFl (2) WR 12 s [2+(2)+2+(6) s] |
| Sectors | 340°-193° white
193°-212° red
212°-233° white
233°-340° red |
| Heights | 18m in Tower, 56m in total |
| Visibility | 13nm for red, 16nm for white |
References:
- Aron Hejdström: "Inselführer Stora Karlsö", German edition, page 12f.
- Stora Karlsö, Swedish Lighthouses, German Language