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Last Updated
1st August 2002

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Greek Version - click here...

THE HISTORY OF THE LIGHTHOUSE
Special Photo section!During 1850's decade as the development of a small harbor began - in the same place where the modern harbor of Alexandroupolis is located- , the need of a lighthouse was appearing . This lighthouse would facilitate and help the local sailors but also all the sailors going to and coming from nearby Hellespont Narrows. There for, a rocky cylindric tower with wide base, was built. The lighthouse, namely the torch which serves the sailing was placed at the top .

The construction of the lighthouse was under taken by the French Company of Lighthouses . The lanters were made after a contract with the Turkish Goverment which controled the area in that period of time.

It is not certain how long it took them to end with the construction. For sure , it started to lit for the first time in 1st of June 1880. At the very beginning, it worked with acetylene, and later with petrolenm using the method of incadencence. Since 1974 it works using electricity but spare bottles of acetylene in case of power failure , are available. Repairs and refits in the lighthouse's building were made in 1946 and 1955.

In the year 2002, the electrical equipment was replaced with a new one using modern technology. The lamp's champer (lantern room) is placed at the top of the building. A concave mirror rotates and sends the light directly to the round placed prisms.The mirror's movement before the use of the electricity required a procedure of counter poises and pulleys, a job performed by the lighthouse-keeper. Anybody who wants to reach the top of the lighthouse has to climb 98 stairs and six big half-landings. Next to every half-landing there is a small oblong window, facing the south, which helps the lighting of the interior space.

The lighthouse's height is 18 meters measured by the ground and 27 meters measured from the sea level. Its position is 40o 50´ 07´´ North, 25o 52´ 05´´ East. Lighthouse 's characteristics are three (03) white flashes every 15 seconds (0.38+2.12+0.38+2.12+0.39+9.62=15secs). Its luminosity has a range of 24 nautical miles (44km), under ideal weather conditions.

It operates under the direct personel supervision of the Hellenic Lighthouse Service and it is one of the few supervised lighthouses that exist today. It is the nautical symbol of Alexandroupolis. In 1994 during the Nautical's Week celebration , a slab of marble was placed in its entrance by the club of antiquity friends and cultural legacy of Evros prefecture.

LIGHTHOUSES IN THE HELLENIC SEAS
Special Photo section!Hellas , is a country with great nautical tradition, a large number of islands and endless coasts . It holds one of the biggests lighthouse networks in Europe.

The first lighthouse made of rock - it doesn't exist today - was built in 1829 in the lip of Aegina Island's harbor. The total number of lighthouses placed in our country is 1308 and 120 of them are traditional rocky - constructed lighthouses. The building of these rocky-made lighthouses goes back to the 1821's revolution. They were built with lot of care and hard work by people - masters in their field those years.

Today, only a number of 75 lighthouse-keepers serve them (Hellenic Lighthouse Service), since the termination of new employment cause of the automation that exists almost in all parts of their operations.

Our lighthouses which coustantly watch all night the Hellenic seas are not only great monuments of our nautical tradition and history, but also monuments of art.