The Helsinki Lighthouse (

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

: ''Helsingin majakka''; also commonly known as ''Helsingin kasuuni'' —

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

: ''Helsingfors fyra''; ''Helsingfors kassun'') is a caisson-type lighthouse located in the

Gulf of Finland The Gulf of Finland ( fi, Suomenlahti; et, Soome laht; rus, Фи́нский зали́в, r=Finskiy zaliv, p=ˈfʲinskʲɪj zɐˈlʲif; sv, Finska viken) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and E ...

, due south of

West Harbour, Helsinki West Harbour ( fi, Länsisatama, sv, Västra hamnen) is a passenger and cargo harbour in the Jätkäsaari district of Helsinki, Finland, in the southwestern part of the Helsinginniemi peninsula. The Länsisatama harbour area also includes the ...

. Construction of the lighthouse began in the

Suomenlinna Suomenlinna (; until 1918 Viapori, ), or Sveaborg (), is an inhabited sea fortress the Suomenlinna district is on eight islands of which six have been fortified; it is about 4 km southeast of the city center of Helsinki, the capital of Finla ...

shipyard in May 1958, and in August the same year the structure was towed to its current location and sank to rest on the seabed at a depth of . Further work was carried out the following year, and the lighthouse was officially commissioned in September 1959. Constructed of

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having hig ...

, the maximum diameter at the bottom of the submerged base is , and that of the visible tower . The height of the visible part is , with the light at above mean sea level. The tower has eight storeys, with the solar-powered 40W halogen light source on the top, and control and technical rooms as well as operator accommodation below. In 1984, a helipad was added on top of the tower. The lighthouse is automated, and operated from the control room on the

Harmaja Harmaja ( sv, Gråhara) is an island and a lighthouse outside Helsinki, south of the Suomenlinna sea fortress. The island has been functioning as a landmark since the 16th century. A landmark structure was built on the island in the 18th century ...

islet. There is a

Finnish Meteorological Institute The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI; fi, Ilmatieteen laitos; sv, Meteorologiska institutet) is the government agency responsible for gathering and reporting weather data and forecasts in Finland. It is a part of the Ministry of Transport ...

weather station located at the lighthouse.

References

{{Authority control Lighthouses in Finland Lighthouses completed in 1959 Buildings and structures in Helsinki Water transport in Finland