Utvær Lighthouse () is the westernmost

coastal 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 ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. It is located in the western part of

Solund Solund is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in the Counties of Norway, county of Vestland, Norway. It is located in the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Sogn. Solund is the westernmost island municipality in Norway. Hol ...

municipality in

Vestland Vestland is a Counties of Norway, county in Norway. The county is located in Western Norway, and its administrative centre is Bergen, where the executive and political leadership is based. The County governor (Norway), County Governor is based in ...

county.

History

It was first lit in 1900 and it was listed as a protected site in 1999. The surrounding area is protected as a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

. It is located on a small, rocky island about due west of the island of

Ytre Sula Ytre Sula (locally called ''Nordviksula'') is a mountain in Surnadal Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Location The peak lies just north of the village of Todalsøra and the Todalsfjorden. Ytre Sula, meaning "Outer Sula", li ...

. The site is accessible only by boat, but guided tours are available. The tall, round,

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

tower is painted red. At the top sits a light that emits a white flash every 30 seconds at an elevation of above sea level. The lighthouse marks the line of transition between the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

to the southwest and the

Norwegian Sea The Norwegian Sea (; ; ) is a marginal sea, grouped with either the Atlantic Ocean or the Arctic Ocean, northwest of Norway between the North Sea and the Greenland Sea, adjoining the Barents Sea to the northeast. In the southwest, it is separate ...

to the northwest. The light station was heavily damaged in an air raid during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in 1945. Many of the buildings were burned, but the historic tower was spared. Utvær lighthouse is currently displayed on the 50-kroner Norwegian banknote.

Gallery

File:Utvær fyr 2.jpg, Closeup of the tower File:Utvær fyr 7.jpg, View of the lighthouse complex File:Utvær fyr 4.jpg, View of the lighthouse and the local village File:Utvær fyr 8.jpg, Alternate view

References

External links

Norsk Fyrhistorisk Forening
Lighthouses completed in 1900 Lighthouses in Vestland Listed lighthouses in Norway Solund {{Norway-lighthouse-stub

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links