Slītere Lighthouse: A Beacon of History and Nature

Slītere Lighthouse, situated in the heart of Slītere National Park, stands as a testament to Latvia's maritime history and natural beauty. Constructed between 1849 and 1850, the 24-meter stone lighthouse initially served as a forest fire surveillance tower before becoming a navigational beacon in 1961. Its location atop the Slītere Blue Hills, 5.3 km inland from the Baltic Sea, made it one of the highest lighthouses in the Baltic region, with a focal height of 82 meters above sea level. Before the lighthouse, the area was known as a dangerous spot for ships, with stories of plunderers lighting misleading signal fires to cause shipwrecks. The site itself may have been an ancient holy place, referred to as Temple Mount or Church Hill on old maps. The lighthouse played a crucial role in guiding ships through the Irbe Strait until its deactivation in 1999, when modern navigation systems rendered it obsolete. Today, Slītere Lighthouse is a popular tourist attraction within the national park. Visitors can explore the lighthouse's five floors, which feature exhibits about other Latvian lighthouses, the Slītere National Park, coastal nature, and the history of the Livonians, an indigenous people of the region. From the top of the lighthouse, one can see the lighthouses of Miķeļtornis, Ovīši, Kolka, and even Saaremaa in Estonia on a clear day. The lighthouse also marks the starting point of a 1.2 km loop trail through the natural forest on the slopes of the Blue Hills. The surrounding national park offers various hiking trails, cycling routes, and opportunities for birdwatching and wildlife observation.