Kołobrzeg Lighthouse

Kołobrzeg Lighthouse stands above the Pomeranian Bay, in Kołobrzeg, on the main platform of a former fort. According to the Wikipedia entry it is administered by the Maritime Office in Szczecin and open to visitors. It lies between the Niechorze lighthouse (about 34 km to the west) and the Gąski lighthouse (about 22 km to the east).

Successive lighthouses

A light for sailors appeared in Kołobrzeg in 1666, when it was lit occasionally in a turret of the port authority building. In 1899 a new pilots' station building in half-timbered construction with a 25-metre tower was built, and in 1909 it was replaced by a brick structure, with the light at 25 m above sea level and a range of 12 nautical miles.

The year 1945 and the present lighthouse

In 1945 German sappers blew up the lighthouse because it served as a landmark for Polish artillerymen during the fighting for Kołobrzeg in March 1945. The new one was completed by November 1945 at the latest, in a slightly different place: the fort's foundations were used and it was set on the main platform of the fort, whereas the previous one had stood in front of it. The year of construction is sometimes given differently, as 1945 or 1946. A plaque in honour of those killed in the fighting for the city was placed on the lighthouse, and in 2022 a bas-relief with a submachine gun and a banner with a hammer and sickle was removed from it; according to the entry, the lighthouse is to become a monument to the Polish soldiers killed in the fighting for Kołobrzeg in March 1945.

Technical data and renovations

The tower is 26 m high, the light is at 36 m above sea level, and the nominal range is 16 nautical miles (29.6 km). The light is a flashing one: the flash lasts 1 s, the interval 2 s. A major overhaul was carried out in 1979-1981, in which the lantern and the stairs were replaced with metal ones, among other things. After 2001 the city, the owner of the building, renovated the fort: the floor was replaced, the dry moat was recreated, and one of the rooms was adapted as a tavern; the other two are to house thematic exhibitions.

Practical information

• Location: Kołobrzeg, near the port and the pier.
• Visiting: the entry says only that the lighthouse is open to visitors. The hours and rules for entering the tower are given on the lighthouse's official website (latarnia.kolobrzeg.pl), so check them before your visit.
• Accessibility: the building is marked as inaccessible to wheelchair users; confirm on site.
• Nearby: Kołobrzeg Naval Port and the Kołobrzeg Pier.