Full stamp SET of LATVIA 2003 - 2019 - Latvian lighthouses (14 stamps)

Description

FULL STAMP SET OF LATVIA  2003 - 2019 - Latvian lighthouses
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(14 stamps)
2003 -
The Kolka lighthouse is on an artificial island which was created between 1872 and 1875. The original lighthouse was made of wood, and its light was first lit in June 1875. As the island settled into the sea, the current tower was built. It began operations on July 1, 1884. Today the lighthouse is six kilometres from Kolkasrags at the end of its sandy shallows (back when it was built, it was just five kilometres away). The island still has the building for the lighthouse supervisor, as well as several outhouses. The metal lighthouse which is there now was built in St Petersburg. It has been an automated lighthouse since 1979.
2004 -
Miķeļbāka or Miķeļtornis is the tallest lighthouse in Latvia. It is located in the village of Miķeļtornis, Tārgale parish, Ventspils Municipality; about 34 km (21 mi) northeast of Ventspils.
The first  tower was completed in 1884 – a cylindrical 55 m. (180 ft) tall brick structure, that at the time—was the tallest lighthouse in Latvia. An electric light source was installed and supplied with electricity from a power plant in a nearby building. In the early 20th century, cracks began to appear in the tower as still seen today.
In 1915 the light source and the generator were transported to Russia. During Germany's occupation of Latvia, they installed an acetylene light source. During WWI, the lighthouse was shelled by artillery. The original lighthouse was patched up, but it had to be demolished in 1932.
In 1932, a temporary wooden tower, almost as high as the original, was built. The tower was finished in September 1934. A German optical device – a 1.76 m. (5 ft 9 in) tall, fixed belt lens – was installed in the new wooden tower. The light source was a Swedish-made, acetylene device. Depending on the distance, the light was either green or white.
In 1941, during its retreat, the Red Army blew up the wooden lighthouse to keep it out of German hands. In 1946, a 30 m. (98 ft) tall temporary tower was built.
The present-day Miķeļbāka lighthouse was built in 1957, documented in the sign above its front door. Two hundred and ninety-three steps lead to the top of the lighthouse, offering a view overlooking the surrounding Kurzeme coast of the Baltic Sea and a lighthouse on the Syrve Peninsula of Saaremaa that can be seen in fine weather at a distance of 35 km (22 mi). The current tower is 56 m. (184 ft) high, the beacon having a focal height of 59 m. (194 ft) above sea level, making it the tallest in the Baltic States.
2005 -
Daugavgrīva Lighthouse is located in Daugavgrīva on the Bay of Riga on the Latvian coast of the Baltic Sea. The lighthouse was built in 1956, located next to Daugava River. Due to the change in the river's course, several lighthouses have been built, destroyed, and rebuilt again over the course of history.
The first lighthouse was constructed by Swedes at the turn of the 18th century, right where the present-day mouth of the Daugava River is flowing, into the Baltic Sea. Back then it was a stone layer with a signal fire on the top of the lighthouse. The next lighthouse was a wooden tower on a masonry foundation, which was demolished during the Crimean War in 1854, and instead, cannons were put on the masonry foundation for firing at ships of the British Royal Navy. Then, a fundamental cast-iron lighthouse was constructed in 1863. It stood until World War I, when the lighthouse was blown up by Russian military troops, who retreated to the east from Riga. The successor to the lighthouse was built in 1921 out of reinforced concrete, during Latvia’s period of independence in the Interwar Period. When the German infantry retreated westward towards the end of the Second World War. After World War II a temporary 20-metre lighthouse as built out of a wooden structure, but the lighthouse was devastated after a powerful storm. The current lighthouse was built between 1956 and 1957; with the first light glare shone on February 2, 1957. Currently the lighthouse is open for the public, with the top viewing gallery being accessed by one hundred and fifty spiral steps.
2006 -
Mērsrags Lighthouse is located on the Bay of Riga, on the Latvian coast of the Baltic Sea. It is located on a headland, stretching as a cape into the Bay of Riga, by a stony shoal. The lighthouse was built in 1875, and is called the
Frenchwoman
, as the lens, an invention of the French, is used as its signal. The lighthouse was devastated in World War I, when its metal structure was distorted by a fire. The current lighthouse was built in 1922, and is strengthened by eight wrought iron inserts, with the exterior walls sheathed with riveted metal plating.
2007 -
The Pape lighthouse was built in 1910; in a place of a former lighthouse (which existed since 1887); on the southernmost tip of Latvia`s coast to the Baltic Sea. During its early existence (up until the end of World War I), the lighthouse was known as a boundary beacon - as the lighthouse guided ships to the port of Liepāja, on the border of the Russian Empire and Prussia. The current lighthouse is a tube-like cylinder, supported by a riveting iron construction. Currently the lighthouse is closed to visitors, although Emilis Melngailis - a famous Latvian composer, stayed overtnight during his folklore expedition.
2008 -
Akmenrags Lighthouse is located to the south of the resort town of Pāvilosta. (Latvian coast of the Baltic Sea) The lighthouse of Akmenrags is a key navigation point, in one of the most dangerous spots on the Baltic Sea to navigate by - this is due to several factors: the lighthouse is located by a stony sand bank, which extends by a distance of 2 nautical miles (about 3,7 kilometres) to the north-west of the lighthouse; another point of danger is the depth of the sea - which is on average 2 metres in the lighthouse's vicinity. The location of the lighthouse has remained the same over the decade; however the coast has receded. The lighthouse has seen several shipwrecks during its existence - a notable one being the shipwreck of September 1923; when a famous Latvian steamer Saratow struck the ground. The current tower was constructed in 1921, as the previous lighthouse was destroyed during World War I. Currently the lighthouse is open to the public, with its one hundred and twenty six steps reaching up to the viewing gallery.
2009 -
The Liepāja lighthouse is located on the southern bank of the civil harbour of Liepāja, near the entrance. It was built of cast iron from resmelted ship-wreckage in 1868. During its lifetime the lighthouse suffered wartime damage, mainly during World War I, when it was hit by sixteen rounds fired by the German battle cruiser SMS Augsburg. Their traces have survived to the present day, as indentations in the lighthouse's external cladding. The new iron sheets covering the lighthouse bear the inscription KOD, meaning they have come from Liepāja, the port and harbour town the lighthouse is located in. Currently the lighthouse's top viewing gallery can be accessed by an internal staircase of one hundred and forty nine steps
2010 -
Užava Lighthouse is located on the Latvian coast of the Baltic Sea. The lighthouse stands in an isolated location, on a 28 metres high sand dune, which is permanently threatened by the Baltic Sea waves' erosion. For this reason, the first coastal reinforcement – a dense log wall was constructed to secure the lighthouse's location in 1910. Later, fir-treebaskets filled with gravel, and big boulders to absorb the waves' energy.  Currently, the base of the lighthouse is protected by rock armour. The original tower of the Užava lighthouse was destroyed by artillery shells during World War I. The present-day lighthouse tower is 19 metres in height, completed in 1925. The inscription of the year 1924 on the nearby weather vane on the lightower's dome roof marks the beginning of construction works of the lighthouse.
2014 -
Ainaži
lighthouse
is
located in
Ainaži
on the
Bay of Riga
- of the
Baltic Sea
. The Ainahi lighthouse was built in 1930, originally serving as a guide for the nearby
Ainaži
port and harbour. During
World War II
, the harbour was bombarded by
German
bombers; causing the village to lose its processing factory and fishing importance - therefore making the lighthouse insignificant. The village, port and harbour were rebuilt under
Soviet control
- bringing back the importance of the lighthouse. The lighthouse was reconstructed and furthermore renovated in the 1990s. Currently the lighthouse is open to the public and is a key landmark for the nearby villages.
2015 -
The lighthouse of Salacgrīva is located on the right bank of the river Salaca - it is a
quadrangular white tower with a red lantern and it
was built in 1925. Today the lighthouse does not operate anymore - following this lighthose, all fishermen have already found their way home and the story has ended happily. The lighthouse was built, because due to the numerous sandbanks the coast between Salacgrīva and Ainaži was considered to be the most dangerous area for sailing in the whole Gulf of Riga.
2016 -
Ovisi Lighthouse is unique in being the oldest lighthouse in Latvia. The lighthouse is still in operation and is included in the list of state-protected cultural monuments. Its territory also comprises a well-preserved staff building, constructed in the early 20th century. After the opening of a narrow-gauge rail line between Ventspils and Mazirbe, a couple of rooms in this building were set aside for the Ovisi station. The building is included in the Latvian industrial heritage list.
2017 -
Roja Port Lighthouse.
Roja Port is located on the northwestern coast of the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of Roja River, and historically it was already operating as a minor port at the time of the Duchy of Courland. For a long time, the main line of activity of the port was the servicing of fishing vessels. At present, the port offers facilities for storing and transhipping general cargo such as wood, chips and peat.
2018 -
Ragaciems Lighthouse is located 52 kilometres from Riga on Cape Ragaciems near the Gulf of Riga in Lapmežciems Parish, Engure Municipality, and it was built in 1960. Ragaciems Lighthouse is 30 metres high.
2019 -
Šlītere lighhouse is located on the edge of a steep slope of the hills Zilie kalni in Šlītere, 5.3 km off the coastline. It is the second eldest navigation building in Latvia. The fifth floor of the lighthouse takes you roughly 100 m above the sea level. The tower itself is 26 m high, while the rotary light – 102.2 m above the sea level. At clear weather, the tower of Sõrve Lighthouse on Saaremaa island (Estonia), Irbene radio telescope and Miķeļbāka lighthouse are visible. Šlītere lighthouse was built in 1849 by the Dundaga manor’s baron for the purposes of forest fire surveillance and as a day-time landmark for ships navigating Irbe Strait in the Baltic Sea. The rotary light at the lighthouse was operated from 1961 until 1999. Since 2000 the lighthouse serves as a tourism and environment education sightseeing object in Slītere National Park. The five floors of the lighthouse exhibit educational information about other Latvian lighthouses, Slītere National Park, coastal nature, and the history of the Livonians. The lighthouse is also the starting point of a loop trail leading down the steep slope of Zilie kalni’ hills in Šlītere and running through a natural forest for 1.2 km.
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