{"id":3916,"date":"2021-06-11T10:06:50","date_gmt":"2021-06-11T10:06:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/?p=3916"},"modified":"2022-06-17T16:23:57","modified_gmt":"2022-06-17T14:23:57","slug":"zalivino-lighthouse-flashes-again-after-36-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/zalivino-lighthouse-flashes-again-after-36-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Zalivino Lighthouse Flashes Again after 36 years!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An illuminating experience by the Curonian Lagoon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Published: 11 June 2021 ~ Zalivino Lighthouse flashes again<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last time we visited Zalivino Lighthouse it was a blisteringly cold day in early January of this year. We were back again today (8 June 2021) in temperatures reaching 23 degrees, and with a refreshing breeze skimming across the surface of the lagoon, to witness the official inauguration of the lighthouse\u2019s new lantern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What a difference sun, blue skies and the thriving natural habitat along this beautiful stretch of the coastline makes, and what a difference five months of concerted conservation commitment and hard work has made to the restoration progress of Zalivino lighthouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On our last visit the keeper\u2019s cottage and abutting building were nothing more than ruined shells. Then, we had a hard time trying to find something substantial to hide behind to shelter us from the bitter winds, but here were those same buildings, less than six months later, brickwork intact, windows and doors in situ and spanking brand new roofs in the latter stages of near completion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Zalivino
Zalivino Lighthouse gets new lantern, June 2021<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You only have to compare the photographs that I took on our previous visit (see Support the Restoration of Zalivino Lighthouse<\/a>) with the ones that I took today, to see how things have progressed. No wonder that the great and the good, the dignitaries, movers and shakers and representatives of Kaliningrad\u2019s Ocean Museum were out in force today to congratulate each other. Who could say that they did not deserve it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zalivino Lighthouse flashes again after 36 years!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Local
Zalivino Lighthouse flashes again! ~ official ceremony, 8 June 2021<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Zalivino Lighthouse<\/strong>
Zalivino Lighthouse is one of three lighthouses in the Kaliningrad region built before World War II.

For almost a century Zalivino lighthouse was an important navigation signal, enabling ships to plot their course safely across the Curonian Lagoon.

In Prussian times, Zalivino, as it is known today, comprised two settlements, Rinderort and Labagienen, renamed in 1938 as Haff-winkel. For centuries, fishermen would set off early in the morning from these shores to fish the surrounding waters, returning late in the evening. The sustained livelihood of the families that lived here depended on a good fishing yield and, of course, the safe return of the breadwinner.

The region\u2019s first navigation system came into being in 1868. Standing next to a fisherman\u2019s house in Rinderort, it consisted of a coal lamp with a lens fixed to a 12-metre wooden pole. Elevation was transacted with a manual lifting device, and although the light had obvious benefits it was only effective at short distance.

Zalivino lighthouse, as we know it today ~ the 15.3-metre cylindrical brick tower with lantern room, observation platform, copper cupola and stone spiral staircase ~ replaced the light on a pole in 1889. It, and the adjoining lightkeeper\u2019s house, was built by W Jourlauke, whose name can still be seen stamped into the brickwork.

The lighthouse lantern had two sections, one red and the other white, with a range of 7 and 12 miles, respectively. One lighted the lagoon toward the Spit and the second one marked the entrance to the mouth of the Deyma River.

The lighthouse ceased operation in 1985. In 2020, the Volga-Balt administration transferred the lighthouse to the Museum of the World Ocean, under whose auspices it is now undergoing phased restoration in recognition of its unique maritime heritage status in both its East Prussian and Russian contexts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zalivino Lighthouse flashes again after 36 years!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lighthouse without a light is about as useful as a pub with no beer, so it was a personal joy for us, and everyone else present, to see the lighthouse flashing again after 36 years of dormancy.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fresnel lens, a gift from commanders of the Baltic Fleet and officer-hydrographers, would not let us leave without we say hello to it, so we retraced the stone spiral staircase that we had climbed in January and clambered up the short metal ladder into the lighthouse\u2019s lantern room, at last occupied by a fully functional lamp. And what a beauty she is! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once acquainted, we pushed open the heavy metal door and side-stepped onto the narrow platform gallery.  From here, we received a birds-eye view both of the restoration work to date and the inspiring coastal scenery, a view for the most part unchanged, as seen through the eyes of lighthouse keepers for close on a hundred years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking down onto terra firma made my wife giddy, as it did me, albeit for other reasons. Seeing the new roof taking shape on top of the keeper\u2019s cottage reminded me that a similar makeover was needed for our dacha! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"New
Zalivino lighthouse keeper’s cottage gets new roof<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Since our previous visit, other improvements in and around the lighthouse were also evident. They include new glazing to the observation deck, cleaning of the well, dredging of the coastal strip, planting and maintenance of an apple orchard and, for security purposes, the installation of perimeter fencing and video-surveillance cameras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A gazebo, where visitors will be able to rest themselves, take in the historic and natural scenery and indulge in light refreshments, is also under construction. Today, this brick-built addition to the site of the Zalivino lighthouse chalked up another first to keep the new lantern company, prematurely fulfilling its role as a dispenser of food and beverages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, the free fish soup was strictly off limits to me; one spoonful would have meant revoking my membership of the newly incorporated Zalivino Vegetarian Society ~ a strange thing indeed for a place like this, whose fortunes historically are inextricably tied to manly men in oilskins, their boats, nets, fish and, one might hazard a guess, fish soup in abundance. This reminds me, when you visit Zalivino Lighthouse do make time to call in on the Zalivino village museum, an admirable establishment devoted to the history of the settlements in this region and the marine heritage on which their survival depended (more of which I hope to post later).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further information about Zalivino Lighthouse, including fundraising activities, accessibility and so on can be found at the end of my previous post, Support the Restoration of Zalivino Lighthouse<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n