Kõpu Lighthouse – Mägipe, Estonia - Atlas Obscura
In the 16th century, the construction of a warning marker for risky and shallow waters around the island of Hiiumaa was ordered by the Hanseatic League in order to secure the important trade routes along the Baltic Sea. The structure was built about 40 years after the request and the lighthouse was completed in 1531. Initially, the building was just a stone tower without any rooms and was used as a daymark. For more than 100 years the tower was not lighted and could only be seen during daylight.
The light was introduced in 1649, when outside stairs were added and a fire was ignited every night. The most accessible material for burning was wood but soon nearby forests were exhausted. Live fire was also troublesome since it was often extinguished by storms and needed an entire team of workers to keep it alive.
In 1810, the tower was modernized. An inner stairway and windows were cut in the tower with some adjacent rooms for maintenance. A lantern room was added to the top and three oil lamps now provided the light. The system was replaced in 1860 with a rotating lantern. A new, more technologically advanced lantern was installed in 1901.
