Kõpu Lighthouse

On the island of Hiiumaa, off the west coast of Estonia, a square white tower rises above a pine forest. It does not stand by the water but on a hill, which gives its light a view far over the Baltic Sea. Kõpu Lighthouse was completed in 1531 and is one of the oldest lighthouses in the world still in use.

A tower against the shallows

West of Hiiumaa, dangerous shallows reach far out to sea, and many ships were lost there. In the early 1500s the local bishop approved a stone beacon, and the tower was finished in 1531. At first it was simply a daytime landmark. A fire grate was added in 1649, and from then on wood fires burned on top at night.

Built to last

The tower is built of stone and has massive buttresses on all four sides, which give it its unusual shape. Over the centuries it was raised, rebuilt and repaired many times. A rotating lantern was added in 1860, and in 1900 a new light was bought at the World Fair in Paris. The lantern was destroyed in 1941 and later rebuilt.

A light that reaches far

The tower is about 38 metres tall, and with the hill below it, its light is about 104 metres above the sea. That makes it visible from up to 26 nautical miles away. The light has worked automatically since 1963 and has used LED lamps since 2020. Today it gives two white flashes every 10 seconds.

Visiting tips

• In the visitor season you can climb to the top for a view over the forest and the sea.
• Hiiumaa is reached by ferry from the Estonian mainland.
• The nearby Kõpu Peninsula has quiet beaches and forest trails.

Key facts