Rönnskär Lighthouse (Finnish: Rönnskärin majakka, Swedish: Rönnskär fyr) is a decommissioned lighthouse located c. 9 kilometres (4.9 nmi) south of the Porkkalanniemi peninsula in the western section of the Gulf of Finland.[1][2][3]

Rönnskär lighthouse
Rönnskär
Rönnskär Lighthouse in 2018
Map
LocationRönnskär, Kirkkonummi, Finland Edit this at Wikidata
Coordinates59°56′08″N 24°23′29″E / 59.9355°N 24.3914°E / 59.9355; 24.3914
Tower
Constructed1800 Edit this on Wikidata
Constructionnatural stone, brick Edit this on Wikidata
Height27 m (89 ft), 15 m (49 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Light
First lit1800 Edit this on Wikidata
Deactivated1928 Edit this on Wikidata
CharacteristicExting (1928–) Edit this on Wikidata

Completed in 1800 while Finland was still part of Sweden, on the orders of King Gustaf IV Adolf, Rönnskär is one of the oldest extant lighthouses in Finland.[1] It was, however, decommissioned in 1928, following the completion of the nearby Porkkala Lighthouse (that is, Porkkala Kallbåda, as opposed to Porkkala Rönnskär, as this one is sometimes called).[1]

Since its decommissioning, Rönnskär has been used mostly as a communications and VTS radar and monitoring facility by the Finnish Navy and Coast Guard. The island is designated as military zone which is why there is no public access to the lighthouse.[1]

The construction consists of a square granite base, topped by a round brick tower; the base is natural stone colour (grey), the main tower section painted white.[2]

The Rönnskär Lighthouse is part of a milieu designated and protected by the Finnish Heritage Agency as a nationally important built cultural environment (Valtakunnallisesti merkittävä rakennettu kulttuuriympäristö).[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Rönnskär (Kirkkonummi)". Majakkaseura.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Lighthouse Society. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  2. ^ a b Selitys Tulimajakoista, Tunnusmajakoista ja muista Merirasteista pitkin Suomen rannikkoa Koiviston salmelta Wiipurin läänissä Tornion kaupunkiin (in Finnish). Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland: Suomen luotsi- ja majakkalaitoksen Ylihallitus. 1891. Archived from the original on 14 June 2009. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Kallbådan ja Rönnskärin majakat (Kallbåda and Rönnskär lighthouses)". RKY.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Heritage Agency. Retrieved 9 February 2021.