Oviši Lighthouse

Oviši Lighthouse (Latvian: Ovišu bāka) is a lighthouse located in Oviši [lv], Latvia near Tārgale on the Courland Peninsula coast of the Baltic Sea.

Oviši Lighthouse
Ovišu bāka

Oviši Lighthouse
Location	Oviši, Ventspils Municipality Latvia
Coordinates	57°34′07.7″N 21°42′57.3″E
Tower
Constructed	1814
Construction	stone tower
Height	33 metres (108 ft)
Shape	broad cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markings	white tower and lantern
Heritage	National industrial monument
Light
Focal height	38 metres (125 ft)[1]
Range	15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi)
Characteristic	Fl W 7.5s
Latvia no.	UZ-475[2]

History

The lighthouse is the oldest functioning lighthouse in Latvia; the village was once a settlement of plunderers which made false signal-fires to rob seamen on stranded ships and steal their goods. The locality, on historic maps, is known as Lusesort or Lyserort.^[3] The name originates from the Swedish word lysa, meaning to burn;^[4] ort meaning cape.^[5] When the lighthouse was built in the nineteenth century, it was used as a navigational aid, with its walls more than half a metre thick. The lighthouse is 33 metres in height, built as a double-cylindrical structure, with a 3.5-metre-high (11 ft) storage building westward of the lighthouse. Currently the base of the lighthouse houses a museum based on the history of Latvia's lighthouses.^[6][7]

See also

• Latvia portal

• List of lighthouses in Latvia