The Keskiniemi beacon tower (''Keskiniemen tunnusmajakka'' in
Finnish), often referred to as the Karvo beacon tower, is a historic
daymark
A daymark is a navigational aid for sailors and pilots, distinctively marked to maximize its visibility in daylight.
The word is also used in a more specific, technical sense to refer to a signboard or daytime identifier that is attached to ...
located on a promontory of Keskiniemi in the northwestern part of
Hailuoto
Hailuoto (; sv, Karlö) is a Finnish island in the northern Baltic Sea and a municipality in Northern Ostrobothnia region. The population of Hailuoto is (), which make it the smallest municipality in Northern Ostrobothnia and the former Oulu ...
island in the
Gulf of Bothnia in
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...
. The tower was built in 1858 to alert the vessels about sandbars reaching northwest from the site. It is the oldest surviving navigational aid on Hailuoto island. The tower has structural similarities with the
Härkmeri beacon tower built in 1857.
Merenkulkulaitos: Virtuaalinen veneretki: Härkmeri
(in Finnish)
The wooden tower has a six-metre (20 ft) high square base with a square pyramidical top. The first floor houses a 70 cm ( feet) thick layer of stones serving as a counterweight to prevent the structure from tipping in wind. The structure also has wooden beams in all four corners for increased support against winds. The tower has a wooden top ornament.[Seppo Laurell: Suomen majakat (Finnish Lighthouses), 1999, page 69, ]
The structure measures 18,9 meters (62 ft) high from the ground, with the top being 20,9 meters (87 ft) above sea level. All of its faces are white.
The current beacon tower is the second navigational aid located on the Keskiniemi promontory. In a navigational map dated on 1785 by Henrik Wacklin a beacon tower is shown at the same location.
The tower has never been lit. A modern Keskiniemi sector light has been erected alongside the tower.
References
{{reflist
Towers completed in 1858
Towers in Finland
Gulf of Bothnia
Hailuoto
Beacon towers
Landmarks in Finland
Buildings and structures in North Ostrobothnia
Daymarks