Litløy Lighthouse

Litløy Lighthouse (Norwegian: Litløy fyr) is a coastal lighthouse in Bø Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located on the island of Litløya in the Vesterålen archipelago, which overlooks the nearby Lofoten islands.[1]

Litløy Lighthouse
Litløy fyrstasjon
View of the lighthouse
Location of the lighthouse
LocationNordland, Norway
Coordinates68°35′36″N 14°18′31″E
Year first constructed1912
Automated1991 
Deactivated2009 
ConstructionStone tower
Tower shapeOctagonal
Markings / patternWhite with red top
Tower height9 metres (30 ft)
Focal height48.7 metres (160 ft)
Range12.1 nmi (22.4 km; 13.9 mi)
CharacteristicFl W 10s 
Admiralty numberL3146
NGA number12232
ARLHS numberNOR-435
Norway number800010
Managing agentLitløy Fyr

History

The lighthouse and the adjoining buildings were built in 1912, and the light itself was electrified in 1959. In the mid-1991 the light was automated. The people who worked at Litløy Lighthouse remained, however, first and foremost to do maintenance at the lighthouse and nearby beacons. Secondly, there was a need to keep shipping activity under observation, both to control and assist if need be. There was also a meteorological weather station on the island. Eventually the cost of keeping the staff at the island caused the lighthouse to be depopulated on 26 June 2003.

In 2005-06, the Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) sold 20 lighthouses along the coast of Norway.[2][3] One of these was Litløy Lighthouse. Bø municipality was offered to buy the lighthouse, but chose not to accept the offer. It was then sold to Ellen Marie Hansteensen. She bought the lighthouse in order to make it accessible to the public, in accordance to Norwegian law (Stortingsmelding 28 (2000–2001)).[4][5]

Litløy lighthouse overlooking Lofoten

Since 2006, Hansteensen has renovated much of the property to offer accommodation and daytime visitors an opportunity to explore the island. Stein Halvorsen is the project's architect.[6] There are also guided tours of the facility, on request. The project at Litløy Lighthouse has been documented by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (Norge rundt, autumn of 2006, ’Der ingen skulle tru at nokon kunne bu’, autumn of 2011)[7][8]

The lighthouse owner is the island's only remaining permanent inhabitant, though various support staff are often present to help with renovations and daily tasks.

NCA removed the diesel driven lighthouse beacon in November 2009. It was replaced by a light running on solar power, batteries and has a double LED 350 lightbulb. The new signal is one white blink, every 10 seconds. The light is visible for 12 nautical miles (22 km). The old light was visible for 20 nautical miles (37 km).[9][10]

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See also

References
  1. Rowlett, Russ (2018-09-22). "Lighthouses of Norway: Vesterålen Area". The Lighthouse Directory. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
  2. "Kystverket selger fyr" (in Norwegian). Kystverket. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19.
  3. "20 fyr til salgs" (in Norwegian). NRK.
  4. "Ti nye fyr selges" (in Norwegian). Kystverket.
  5. "Solgte 16 eiendommer i 2005" (in Norwegian). Kystverket. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19.
  6. "Stein Halvorsen AS Sivilarkitekter MNAL" (in Norwegian).
  7. "Dugnad på Litløy fyr" (in Norwegian). NRK Norge rundt. 2006-10-27.
  8. "Der ingen skulle tru at nokon kunne bu" (in Norwegian). NRK besøker Litløy fyr.
  9. "Det gamle fyret på Litløya i Bø er sløkt" (in Norwegian). Bø kommune. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24.
  10. Kystverket (2018). Norske Fyrliste (PDF) (in Norwegian). ISBN 9788245015959. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
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