Glosholm lighthouse

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Glosholm lighthouse
Finland adm location map.svg
Lighthouse icon centered.svg
Glosholm lighthouse
Finland
Location Finland Blue pencil.svg
Coordinates 60°11′11.7″N25°50′09.0″E / 60.186583°N 25.835833°E / 60.186583; 25.835833 Coordinates: 60°11′11.7″N25°50′09.0″E / 60.186583°N 25.835833°E / 60.186583; 25.835833
Year first constructed 1832
Deactivated 1863
Construction stone tower
Height 9 metres (30 ft) high remains of the lighthouse
ARLHS number FIN-083

The Glosholm lighthouse (later Glosholm daymark) was a lighthouse on a southern tip of the Glosholm Island in the Pellinge archipelago in the Gulf of Finland, outside of Porvoo. With increasing sea traffic in the area, the lighthouse was constructed during the years 1832–1835. It served from 1835 to 1863, when it was replaced by the Söderskär lighthouse. The structure served as a daymark until 1940, when it was blown up.

Pellinki

Pellinki is an island community in Finland made up of several small islands, the main ones linked by bridges. It is located 80 km east of the capital Helsinki, and 30 km south of the town of Porvoo/Borgå. It is administered as part of the municipality of Porvoo/Borgå.

Gulf of Finland arm of the Baltic Sea

The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn. The eastern parts of the Gulf of Finland belong to Russia, and some of Russia's most important oil harbours are located farthest in, near Saint Petersburg. As the seaway to Saint Petersburg, the Gulf of Finland has been and continues to be of considerable strategic importance to Russia. Some of the environmental problems affecting the Baltic Sea are at their most pronounced in the shallow gulf.

Porvoo City in Uusimaa, Finland

Porvoo is a city and a municipality situated on the southern coast of Finland approximately 50 kilometres (30 mi) east of Helsinki. It is one of the six medieval towns in Finland, first mentioned as a city in texts from the 14th century. Porvoo is the seat of the Swedish-speaking Diocese of Borgå of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.

Contents

Planning and building

When the lighthouse was being planned for the area, there were conflicting views on its location. Gustaf Brodd, then head of the Finnish pilot and lighthouse administration, wanted the lighthouse to be built on Glosholm, but the head of the Russian Lighthouse Administration wanted a more southerly location on Söderskär. In 1826, Tsar Nicholas I ordered the lighthouse to be built on Glosholm.

Nicholas I of Russia Emperor of Russia

Nicholas I reigned as Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855. He was also the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland. He has become best known as a political conservative whose reign was marked by geographical expansion, repression of dissent, economic stagnation, poor administrative policies, a corrupt bureaucracy, and frequent wars that culminated in Russia's defeat in the Crimean War of 1853–56. Nicholas had a happy marriage that produced a large family; seven children survived childhood. His biographer Nicholas V. Riasanovsky says that Nicholas displayed determination, singleness of purpose, and an iron will, along with a powerful sense of duty and a dedication to very hard work. He saw himself as a soldier—a junior officer totally consumed by spit and polish. A handsome man, he was highly nervous and aggressive. Trained as an engineer, he was a stickler for minute detail. In his public persona, says Riasanovsky, "Nicholas I came to represent autocracy personified: infinitely majestic, determined and powerful, hard as stone, and relentless as fate." He was the younger brother of his predecessor, Alexander I. Nicholas inherited his brother's throne despite the failed Decembrist revolt against him and went on to become the most reactionary of all Russian leaders.

The tower of the lighthouse was made of bricks, it was 16.3 metres high, and it was four storeys high and had a diameter of 8.9 metres. An octagonal lighting structures were placed on this structure. A house for the staff of four was also built at the same time. The light of the lighthouse was lit for the first time on 15 September 1835.

The Söderskär lighthouse is built

The location of the Glosholm lighthouse was not the best possible from the point of view of maritime traffic, and it was considered that the poor position contributed to some of the shipwrecks in the area. Thus, when the Söderskär lighthouse had been built, the Glosholm lighthouse lights were turned off, and from then on it functioned as a daymark. The top structure with the lighting devices were torn down, and an octagonal iron roof was built in its stead, with a tapering point at the top. On top of this there was a cross with a height of 6.1 metres, and a barrel placed crosswise on top of the cross.

Shipwrecking event causing a ship to wreck

Shipwrecking is an event that causes a shipwreck, such as a ship striking something that causes the ship to sink; the stranding of a ship on rocks, land or shoal; poor maintenance; or the destruction of a ship at sea by violent weather.

Destruction during the Winter War

During the Winter War, the Glosholm daymark was ordered to be destroyed, as it was thought that the enemy bombers could use it for navigation. The tower was blown up on 14 March 1940, i.e. a day after the war ended. The news of the end of the war did not reach the daymark until some time later. A five metre tall structure remained standing, and during the Continuation War it was used for fire control. [1]

Winter War 1939–1940 war between the Soviet Union and Finland

The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union (USSR) and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peace Treaty on 13 March 1940. The League of Nations deemed the attack illegal and expelled the Soviet Union from the organisation.

Continuation War 1941–1944 war by Finland and Germany against the Soviet Union

The Continuation War was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany, as co-belligerents, against the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1941 to 1944, during World War II. In Russian historiography, the war is called the Soviet–Finnish Front of the Great Patriotic War. Germany regarded its operations in the region as part of its overall war efforts on the Eastern Front and provided Finland with critical material support and military assistance.

Fire control is the practice of reducing the heat output of a fire, reducing the area over which the fire exists, or suppressing or extinguishing the fire by depriving it of fuel, oxygen, or heat.

Model for the Moomin House

Author Tove Jansson used the Glosholm daymark as the model for her Moominhouse. According to some sources, Jansson spent some of her childhood summers in the area. More reliable is the information that she later spent the summers for 30 years on the Klovaharun Island, ca. 3 km south-west of Glosholm. By the time the first Moomin book came out in 1945, the daymark had already been blown up, but memories of it still lingered. [2]

Tove Jansson Finnish childrens writer and illustrator

Tove Marika Jansson (Finland Swedish pronunciation: [ˈtuːvɛ ˈjɑːnsɔn], was a Swedish-speaking Finnish author, novelist, painter, illustrator and comic strip author. Brought up by artistic parents, Jansson studied art from 1930 to 1938 in Stockholm, Helsinki and Paris. Her first solo art exhibition was in 1943. At the same time, she was writing short stories and articles for publication, as well as creating the graphics for book covers and other purposes. She continued to work as an artist and a writer for the rest of her life.

Moominhouse

Moominhouse is a fictional house, where the Moomins live in the tales by Finnish author Tove Jansson. Its tall, round shape is said to be patterned after the porcelain stoves behind which the Moomins' ancestors used to live.

Opening up for the public

According to Helsingin Sanomat (25 July 27, 2015), the coast guard will be moving away from Glosholm, and the Finnish Administration of Forests and the Uusimaa Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment are planning to make Glosholm a tourist destination. [2]

Helsingin Sanomat, abbreviated HS and colloquially known as Hesari, is the largest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, owned by Sanoma. Except after certain holidays, it is published daily. Its name derives from that of the Finnish capital, Helsinki, where it is published.

Metsähallitus (Finnish) is a state-owned enterprise in Finland that exceptionally uses a Finnish name in English.

The Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment are responsible for the regional implementation and development tasks of the central government in Finland.

See also

Further information

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References

  1. ↑ Saavalainen, Heli (2015-07-25). "Torni räjäytettiin, vaikka sota ehti loppua" [‘The tower was blown up, although the war was already over’]. Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Sanoma. pp. A 10–11. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
  2. 1 2 Saavalainen, Heli (2015-07-25). "Muumitalon esikuvana ollut majakka ränsistyy Pellingin saaristossa. Historiallinen saari avautuu yleisölle, kun merivartiosto siirtyy Pellingin saaristosta Emäsaloon" [‘Model for the Moominhouse, Glosholm daymark running down in the Pellinge archipelage. The historic island will be opened to the public when the coast guard will move from Pelling to Emsalö’]. Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Sanoma. pp. A 10–11. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
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