Ursholmen
 Ursholmen Lighthouses | |
 | |
| Location | Ursholmen Strömstad Archipelago Sweden |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 58°49′57″N 10°59′24″E / 58.832620°N 10.990081°E |
| Constructed | 1891 (twin lighthouses Syd and Nord) |
| Foundation | concrete base |
| Construction | concrete tower |
| Automated | 1965 |
| Height | 13 metres (43 ft) |
| Shape | cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern |
| Markings | white tower with a black band at the top, black lantern |
| Operator | Stiftelsen Ursholmen[1] |
| Light | |
| First lit | 13 November 1891  |
| Deactivated | 1931 (Ursholmen Nord) |
| Lens | 3rd order Fresnel lens |
| Range | 17 nautical miles (31 km; 20 mi)* |
| Characteristic | LFl (2) WRG 15s. |
| Sweden no. | SV-8608 |
Ursholmen is a Swedish island and lighthouse located west of Strömstad town. It is the westernmost lighthouse in Sweden.
History
In 1891 two identical lighthouses were built on the island to replace two lighthouses on Nordkoster. It was the first time in Sweden lighthouses were built in concrete. In 1931 the north tower was deactivated and its lantern room removed, but the tower remains. In 1965 the south tower was electrified and automated. In 2000 solar cells was installed and the electric cable removed. In 2008 the Swedish Maritime Administration handed ownership of the towers to the Naturvårdsverket which already owned all of the other buildings on the island. SMA didn't find the lighthouse important for the modern commercial shipping any more, but they paid an amount of money to Naturvårdsverket for restoration of the two towers.
There is a very small lighthouse museum in a cabin on the island. The whole island is a nature reserve, a part of Kosterhavet national park.
See also
References
- Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Sweden: Tanum Area (Northern Bohuslän)". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
External links
