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
Location	Rönnskär, Kirkkonummi, Finland
Coordinates	59°56′08″N 24°23′29″E
Tower
Constructed	1800
Construction	natural stone, brick
Height	27 m (89 ft), 15 m (49 ft)
Light
First lit	1800
Deactivated	1928
Characteristic	Exting (1928–)

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, for which reason 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