lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Ligh ...
on the coast of
Bothnian Sea
The Bothnian Sea (; ) links the Bothnian Bay (also called the Bay of Bothnia) with the Baltic Sea, Baltic proper. Kvarken is situated between the two. Together, the Bothnian Sea and Bay make up a larger geographical entity, the Gulf of Bothnia, ...
, located in Eurajoki, in the island of
Säppi
Säppi () is an island on the coast of Bothnian Sea in the municipality of Eurajoki in Finland. The island is located some west of the city of Pori and off the mainland.
Island of Säppi is best known of the 1873 built Säppi Lighthouse and it ...
. The lighthouse stands approximately 14 kilometers Southwest of the
Port of Pori
Port of Pori () is a complex of three harbours. It is by the Gulf of Bothnia in Pori, Finland. The port authority of Pori was established in 1780. Today the Port of Pori is a corporation owned by the city.
Port of Pori has liner service to se ...
on the area of
Eurajoki
Eurajoki (; ) is a municipality of Finland located in the region of Satakunta in the province of Western Finland. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is .
The municipality is ...
municipality. It was designed by Finnish architect
Axel Hampus Dalström
Axel Hampus Dalström (22 March 1829 – 19 March 1882), was a Finnish architect. He was the director of the National Board of Public Building from 1869 to 1882.Säpin Majakka/Säppi Lighthouse – Luvia, Finland Waymarking.com. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
History
The first wooden
daymark
A daymark is a navigational aid for sailors and maritime pilot, 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 ...
in Säppi was built by the merchants of Pori in 1779. It was replaced by a hexagon-type daymark in 1852. Construction of the present lighthouse was launched in the spring of 1873 and it was lit in September. Säppi lighthouse was automated in 1962 and today it is powered by
solar panels
A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited electrons when exposed to light. These electrons flow through a circuit and produce direct ...
. The lighthouse was originally equipped with a
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens (optics), lens which reduces the amount of material required compared to a conventional lens by dividing the lens into a set of concentric annular sections.
The simpler Dioptrics, d ...
system.
Säppi Island has been a part of the
Bothnian Sea National Park
Bothnian Sea National Park (, ) is a national park in Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the G ...
since 2011. Lighthouse and the surrounding buildings are inventoried by the
Finnish National Board of Antiquities
The Finnish Heritage Agency (, ), previously known in English as the National Board of Antiquities, preserves Finland's material cultural heritage: collects, studies and distributes knowledge of it. The agency is a cultural and research institutio ...
as one of
Cultural heritage sites of national importance in Finland
Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, attitudes, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...
. The island is visited annually by some 4,000 tourists.