Lighthouses of Russia: St. Petersburg Area

Kingisepp District Lighthouses

Kurgolovo Area Lighthouses

Kaybolovo (Kaibolovo) Date unknown. Active; focal plane 61 m (20 ft); white light, 4 s on, 4 s off. 37 m (121 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower, the top half covered by a slatted daymark. Tower painted black, daymark white. The Bellona environmental foundation has a photo (about halfway down the page), and Google has a satellite view. In 2003, thieves broke into the lighthouse to steal non-ferrous metals. They discarded the radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) that powered the lighthouse, creating a serious case of radioactive pollution. (Soviet-era RTG's were powered by highly radioactive strontium 90, and the presence of these increasingly dilapidated and dangerous power units in unattended lighthouses was and is a matter of grave international concern.) Located about 7 km (4 mi) southwest of Kurgolovo. Site status unknown. ARLHS ERU-139; Admiralty C3918; NGA 12972. * Mys Pikhlisaar Date unknown. Active; focal plane 29 m (95 ft); white flash every 4 s. 25 m (82 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower, the top half covered by a slatted daymark. Tower painted red, daymark white. Wikimapia's photo is at right, a 2008 photo and view from the sea are available, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Like Kaybolovo, this lighthouse was stripped by vandals who dumped the RTG in the Gulf of Finland. Located on Cape Pikhlisaar, marking the western entrance to the Luzhskaya bay, about 6 km (3.5 mi) east of Kurgolovo. Site open, and apparently nothing prevents vistors from climbing the tower. ARLHS ERU-142; Admiralty C3976; NGA 12984. Mys Luto Date unknown. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); white flash every 3 s. 21 m (69 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower, the top half covered by a slatted daymark. Tower painted red, daymark white with a black vertical stripe. No photo available, but Google has a good satellite view. Located on a promontory near the middle of the west side of Luzhskaya bay. Site status unknown. Admiralty C3977; NGA 12985. Pustoshskiy Range Front Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); quick-flashing white light. 12 m (39 ft) skeletal tower with gallery; the tower carries a rectangular daymark painted white with a black vertical stripe. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located at the southwestern corner of Luzhskaya bay. Site status unknown. Admiralty C3978. Pustoshskiy Range Rear Date unknown. Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); white light occulting once every 3.5 s. 15 m (49 ft) skeletal tower with gallery; the tower carries a rectangular daymark painted white with a black vertical stripe. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located 340 m (372 ft) west of the front light. Site status unknown. Admiralty C3978.1.

Mys Pikhlisaar Light Wikimapia Creative Commons photo

Kolganpya Area Lighthouses

Gorki (Gorky)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 181 m (594 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 41 m (135 ft) round tower with a large round control room and other facilities, rising from a substantial building. No photo available, but the shadow of the tower is conspicuous in a Google satellite view. Almost certainly this tower is a vessel tracking tower of the Automated Identification System. Located north of Vistino on the east side of the Luzhskaya bay, about 10 km (6 mi) south southwest of Cape Kolgampya. Site status unknown, probably closed. ARLHS ERU-138; Admiralty C3986; NGA 12988.

Mys Kolganpya (Kolgampya, Kolgompya) Range Front

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); quick-flashing white light. 21 m (69 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower, the top half covered by a slatted daymark. Daymark painted white with a red vertical stripe. A very distant view is available, and Google has a good satellite view. The purpose of this range is unknown; it probably indicates a line east of which special navigational rules apply for the approach to St. Petersburg. Located on the tip of Mys Kolgampya, a prominent cape about 30 km (19 mi) east northeast of Kurgolovo. Site status unknown. ARLHS ERU-076; Admiralty C3988; NGA 12992.

Mys Kolganpya (Kolgampya, Kolgompya) Range Rear

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 31 m (102 ft); white light, 2 s on, 2 s off, visible only on the range line. 15 m (49 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower, painted white. The north side of the tower carries a large slatted daymark painted white with a black vertical stripe. No photo available, but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located about 1.2 km (3/4 mi) south of the front light and the cape. Site status unknown. Admiralty C3988.1; NGA 12996.

Lomonosov District Lighthouses

Sosnovy Bor Area Lighthouses

* Mys Ustinskiy (Sosnovy Bor)

Date unknown. Inactive. 29 m (95 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower, the upper half covered on all sides by a slatted daymark. The tower is painted red, and the daymark is (or was) painted white with a black vertical stripe. A photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Sosnovy Bor ("Pine Forest") is a new town built in connection with a large nuclear power plant but now also the site of a number of research institutes. Located on Mys Ustinskiy, a sharp cape marking the entrance to Koporye Bay, about 8 km (5 mi) west of Sosnovy Bor. Site open, tower closed. ex-Admiralty C3996.

* Mys Shepelevskiy (Shepelevsky) 1910. Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); two long white flashes every 16 s, white or red depending on direction. 36 m (118 ft) round cast iron tower with lantern and gallery. Tower painted with horizontal red and white bands; gallery painted black. Keeper's house and other light station buildings. Near the lighthouse is a new communications tower, more than twice the height of the lighthouse, also painted with horizontal red and white bands. A photo is at right, Nikita Bogomolov has a closeup photo, Wikimapia has several photos, Trabas has a distant photo by Capt. Peter, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse was prefabricated in France. It is an important light station guarding the south side of the entrance to the narrow extension of the Gulf of Finland leading to St. Petersburg. Located on the headland of Mys (Cape) Shepelevskiy about 60 km (37.5 mi) west of St. Petersburg and 30 km (19 mi) west of Lomonosov. Site open, tower closed unless the keeper can be persuaded to give a tour. ARLHS ERU-007; Admiralty C4004; NGA 13004. * Krasnaya Gorka Common Range Rear (2) 1957 (station established before 1950). Active; focal plane 60 m (197 ft); white light, 1.5 s on, 1.5 s off. 38 m (125 ft) square cylindrical steel skeletal tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted red; the upper half of the tower is enclosed by a slatted daymark painted with red and white vertical stripes. 1-story wood service building, painted white. A good photo is available, as well as a closeup of the top of the tower, and Google has a satellite view. The light is about 1.6 km (1 mi) east of the historic Krasnaya Gorka fortress. Founded by Peter the Great, the fortress was the location of Russia's first lighthouse in 1721. Located on the south shore of the Gulf of Finland on the west side of Lebyazhye and about 20 km (13 mi) west of Lomonosov. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ERU-141; Admiralty C4006; NGA 13008. * Krasnaya Gorka 212° Range Front Date unknown. Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); continuous red light. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) robust post light carrying a large drum-shaped daymark. Tower painted white, daymark red with a white vertical stripe on the apparent range line. Rostopshin has a photo, another photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. This light and the Krasnaya Gorka light (previous entry) probably guide vessels around a dangerous shoal area known to western navigators as the London Shoals. The shoals were marked by a lightship from 1835 until at least 1950, except during the world wars and Russia's revolutionary period. Located beside the coastal highway on the west side of Lebyazhye, about 335 m (1100 ft) north northwest of the Krasnaya Gorka lighthouse. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C4005.9. * Krasnaya Gorka 220° Range Front Date unknown. Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); continuous red light. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) robust post light carrying a large drum-shaped daymark. Tower painted white, daymark red with a white vertical stripe on the apparent range line. Olga Boitsova has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the same road about 80 m (90 ft) east of the 212° front light. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C4006.1

Mys Shepelevskiy Light Wikimapia Creative Commons photo

City of St. Petersburg Lighthouses

Kronshtadt (Kotlin Island) Area Lighthouses
Note: Kronshtadt (often spelled Kronstadt) is the historic home port of Russia's Baltic Fleet. The city and naval base are built on Kotlin Island, located 30 km (19 mi) west of St. Petersburg. The St. Petersburg Dam, a flood control structure, extends from Kotlin Island to both sides of Neva Bay; its purpose is to protect St. Petersburg from inundation by storm surges driven by westerly winds. Ships pass through this barrier via a floodgate just south of the island.

Tolbukhin (2) 1810 (station established 1719). Active; focal plane 29 m (95 ft); white light, 3 s on, 9 s off. 30 m (98 ft) 2-stage round cylindrical old-style stone tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern dome is red. 2-story keeper's house and other light station buildings. Semyon Zakharov's photo is at right, another good photo is available, Trabas has a distant photo by Capt. Peter, and Huelse has a historic postcard view. The original light, a wooden tower, was ordered by Peter the Great. The present tower, the oldest active lighthouse in northwestern Russia, was designed by A.D. Zakharov, a famous Russian architect. Located on a tiny island about 7 km (4 mi) west northwest of the western tip of Ostrov Kotlin, the island on which Kronshtadt is located. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS ERU-070; Admiralty C4010; NGA 13012. Morskoy Kanal Range Rear 1914. Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); long white flash every 6 s. 41.5 m (136 ft) octagonal tower with lantern and gallery. The lighthouse is unpainted gray concrete with black and white horizontal bands on the side facing the range line. A photo shows the daymark, Trabas and Capt. Peter's photo is a side view, Beasley has a photo, a photo of both range lights is available, Dmitry Rostopshin has a distant view from downrange, and Google has a satellite view. The Morskoy Kanal is the dredged channel through Neva Bay (Nevskaya Guba) from Kronshtadt to St. Petersburg; the channel is ruler straight and has a length of about 28 km (17 mi). The Lesnoy Range in St. Petersburg guides eastbound traffic in the channel, while the Morskoy Kanal Range lights guide westbound traffic. The range is an outbound (westbound) range guiding ships away from St. Petersburg. Located about 1 km (0.6 mi) southwest of Fort Kronshlot. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS ERU-050; Admiralty C4059.1; NGA 13056.

Tolbukhin Light, July 2007 Flickr photo copyright Semyon Zakharov; used by permission

Fort Nikolai Range Front

1891. Inactive since the early 1920s. 16 m (52 ft) round cast iron tower with lantern and gallery, painted red, built just outside the walls of Fort Kronshlot (formerly Fort Nikolai). An excellent closeup is available, Beasley has a photo, another photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. The current Fort Kronshlot Light was the rear light of this range. The light became unnecessary after the current Kronshtadt Rear Light was built in the 1920s. It appears that the lighthouse has been maintained as a daybeacon, since still stands on the range line. Located 180 m (200 yd) west of the Fort Kronshlot Light on a small island just west of the naval base, near the east end of Ostrov Kotlin. A map is available. Accessible only by boat, but there are distant views from Kronshtadt and from the civilian port of Lomonosov on the mainland 3 km (2 mi) to the south. ARLHS ERU-314.

Fort Kronshlot (Kronshtadt Range Front) 1891. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); continuous red light shone to the west; white light, 4 s on, 1.5 s off, shone to the east. 25 m (82 ft) round cast iron tower with lantern and gallery, painted red, built just outside the walls of Fort Kronshlot. An aerial photo is available, Capt. Peter has a good photo, a distant photo of the fort and lighthouse is available, and Google has a satellite view. Built by Peter the Great in 1704, Fort Kronshlot is the oldest of the many fortresses protecting Kronshtadt and St. Petersburg. The range guides ships up the channel on the south side of Ostrov Kotlin toward the naval base at Kronshtadt. Located on a small island just west of the naval base, near the east end of Ostrov Kotlin. A map is available. Accessible only by boat, but there are distant views from Kronshtadt and from the civilian port of Lomonosov on the mainland 3 km (2 mi) to the south. Site and tower closed. ARLHS ERU-046; Admiralty C4012; NGA 13016. Kabotazhnaya Gavan Range Front Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); red flash every 1.5 s. 15 m (49 ft) square skeletal tower, mounted on a square concrete pier. The entire lighthouse is enclosed by a wood daymark painted red with a black vertical stripe on the range line. A photo and a closeup are available, Beasley has a closeup photo and a photo showing both range lights, and Google has a good satellite view. In Beasley's 2009 photos the paint has worn off, obscuring the vertical stripe. This light is a front range light that guides naval vessels as they enter the Kronshtadt naval station. Located about 600 m (0.4 mi) north of Fort Kronshlot. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Admiralty C4020; NGA 13032. Kabotazhnaya Gavan Range Rear (Petrovskaya Pristan) Date unknown. Active; focal plane 31 m (102 ft); quick-flashing red light. 29 m (95 ft) square steel frame tower, faced with wood siding, with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white, except the side facing the range is painted red with a black vertical stripe on the range line; lantern painted red. Evgeny Gerashchenko's photo is at right, another closeup photo is available, Beasley has a good photo and a photo showing both range lights, another photo shows the lighthouse and the dome of the historic Kronshtadt cathedral, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse appears freshly painted in a 2007 photo. This light is a rear range light that guides naval vessels as they enter the Kronshtadt naval station. The lighthouse stands on the Petrovskaya Pristan (mole), one of the breakwaters protecting the main harbor of Kronshtadt, the traditional and historic home port of the Russian Navy. Site and tower closed, but there are good views from shore. ARLHS ERU-144; Admiralty C4020.1; NGA 13036.

Kabotazhnaya Gavan Range Rear Light, 2006 Wikimedia Creative Commons photo by Evgeny Gerashchenko

Morskoy Kanal Range Front 1914. Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); quick-flashing white light. 20 m (66 ft) octagonal concrete tower with lantern and gallery. The lighthouse is unpainted gray concrete, except the side facing the range is painted black with a white vertical stripe on the range line. Dmitry Rostopshin has a nice view, Beasley has a photo, a photo of both range lights is available, Trabas has a distant photo by Capt. Peter, and Google has a satellite view. Perhaps endangered, the lighthouse has a distinct lean. Located about 1.6 km (1 mi) southwest of the Kronshtadt lighthouse. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS ERU-049; Admiralty C4059; NGA 13052. Kronshtadt (Range Rear) Early 1920s. Active; focal plane 54 m (177 ft); continuous green light shone only to the west. 54 m (177 ft) octagonal concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Tower is unpainted gray concrete; lantern painted red. One of Dmitry Rostopshin's photos is at right, Jessica Brach has a 2007 photo, Beasley has a closeup and a more distant view, another photo is available, another photo shows the lighthouse and the city of St. Petersburg in the distance, and Google has a good satellite view. Located near the east end of the naval harbor at Kronshtadt, about 2.3 km (1.5 mi) east southeast of the front light at Fort Kronshlot. Site and tower closed, but there are good views from shore and distant views from the civilian port of Lomonosov on the mainland 3 km (2 mi) to the south. ARLHS ERU-047; Admiralty C4012.1; NGA 13020. Voennaya Gavan Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); white light, 2 s on, 2 s off. 12 m (39 ft) hexagonal cylindrical cast iron skeletal tower, painted red. The light is seen in Christian Dirksen's photo, Beasley has a good photo and a more distant view also featuring the Kronshtadt Range Rear Light, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the corner of a pier at the extreme southeastern tip of the Kronshtadt naval base, about 400 m (1/4 mi) southwest of the Kronshtadt lighthouse. Site and tower closed. Admiralty C4042. Kronshtadt Fairway No. 15 Range Rear Date unknown. Active; focal plane 18 m (56 ft); continuous green light. 16 m (52 ft) round tower, painted white with a black vertical stripe. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located about 300 m (1000 ft) west of the front light. Site status unknown. Admiralty C4042.21. Kronshtadt Fairway No. 15 Range Front Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); continuous green light. 12 m (39 ft) round tower, painted white with a black vertical stripe. A closeup photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the eastern tip of Kotlin Island. Site status unknown. Admiralty C4042.2.

Kronshtadt Range Rear Light photo copyright Dmitry Rostopshin; used by permission

Lomonosov Lighthouses
Note: Lomonosov, called Oranienbaum in czarist times, is a port on the south side of Neva Bay west of Peterhof and opposite the naval base of Kronshtadt. Although it must have been the seat of the Lomonosov District in the past, the town has been annexed to the federal city of St. Petersburg.

Malaya Ishora Range Front

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); red light occulting once every 2.5 s. 15 m (49 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower carrying a rectangular daymark painted white with a black vertical stripe. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. This range guides naval vessels as they leave Kronshtadt harbor and turn toward the main channel of Neva Bay. Located just east of the Kronshtadt bridge in Lomonosov. Site and tower closed. Admiralty C4044.

Malaya Ishora Range Rear

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); red light occulting once every 2.5 s. 20 m (66 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower, painted red. The tower carries a slatted daymark painted white with a black vertical stripe. A good photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located about 300 m (1000 ft) south of the front light. Site and tower closed. Admiralty C4044.1.

Lightship Irbenskiy (?)

1962. Decommissioned around 1990. 43 m (141 ft) single-masted steel lightship. Hull and mast painted red, superstructure white. Built in Finland for the Soviet Navy, the Irbenskiy was stationed on the Mikhailovskaya shoal in the Irbensky Strait, between Estonia and Latvia, until it was replaced by a lighthouse in 1986. It was then reassigned to a station off Ventspils, Latvia, although it's not clear if it ever assumed that station. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 it has been moored at the Navy's hydrographic station. In 2009 the Navy announced that it would be scrapped, but a group of veterans was attempting to have it saved for possible display on the Neva River in St. Petersburg. The group's web site has disappeared, and we need information on the status of this effort. Google has a satellite view of the ship moored in Lomonosov harbor. Site and vessel closed.

Oranienbaum (Lomonosov East Pierhead)

1875. Inactive. Approx. 8 m (26 ft) square light tower with gallery attached to a 1-story harbormaster's office. The lantern has been replaced by a pyramidal roof. A photo and a closeup are available, and Google has a satellite view. This historic building appears to be abandoned. Located at the end of the east breakwater pier of Lomonosov harbor. Site status unknown.

Lomonosov Range Front

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); continuous red light. 14 m (46 ft) round cylindrical tower with gallery; the tower carries side panels as a daymark. Lighthouse painted white with red vertical stripes. Rostopshin has a photo, another photo and a third photo are available, and Google has a satellite view. Located near the base of the east breakwater pier of Lomonosov harbor. Site status unknown. Admiralty C4047.

Lomonosov Range Rear

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); continuous red light. 28 m (92 ft) steel post with side panels providing a daymark. Lighthouse painted white with red vertical stripes. A closeup photo is available, the light appears on the right in a distant view, and its shadow is seen in Google's satellite view. Located on a broad quay on the east side of Lomonosov. Site probably open, tower closed. Admiralty C4047.1.

Strel'na and Petrodvorets (Peterhof) Lighthouses
Note: Strel'na and Petrodvorets (Peterhof) are smaller municipalities southwest of St. Petersburg on the south shore of Neva Bay. Both are the sites of large czarist palaces, now museums attracting large numbers of tourists.

* Petrodvorets (Petrodvortsovyj, Peterhof) West Range Rear 1887. Active; focal plane about 11 m (36 ft); white light, 1.5 s on, 1.5 s off. Approx. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical cast iron (?) tower with lantern, gallery, and skeletal braces on the seaward side. Tower painted white, lantern and watch room red, and there is a white-bordered red vertical stripe shone on the range line. Larry Myhre's photo is at right, a closeup and a good photo from the seaward side are also available, Beasley has a photo and a more distant view, and Google has a satellite view. Thanks to its location on the grounds of the Imperial palace, this small lighthouse is often photographed. Located in Petrodvorets, below the palace and about 300 m (1000 ft) west of the small boat harbor. Site open, tower closed. Site manager: Peterhof State Museum-Reserve. ARLHS ERU-317; Admiralty C4051. * Petrodvorets Range Front Date unknown. Active; focal plane 6 m (20 ft); quick-flashing white light. 4 m (13 ft) concrete tower attached to a rectangular 1-story structure topped by an observation deck. Lighthouse painted white with red vertical stripes. Dmitry Shchukin has a photo, a closeup is available, and Google has a satellite view. This light is the front light for both the east and west ranges. Located at the end of the breakwater pier sheltering the small boat harbor at Petrodvorets (Peterhof). Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower probably open. Admiralty C4050. * Petrodvorets Range East Range Rear Date unknown. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); white light occulting once every 3 s. 18 m (59 ft) square skeletal tower mounted on a 1-story equipment shelter. The tower is painted red and carries a slatted daymark painted white with a black vertical stripe. A closeup photo is available, Beasley has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located in Petrodvorets, about 200 m (600 ft) east of the small boat harbor. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C4052. Petrovskiy Kanal Range Rear 2007. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); red light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 25 m (82 ft) round cylindrical tower with gallery, mounted on an octagonal concrete platform supported by piles. Lighthouse painted white with a red vertical stripe. Vladimir Kolesnikov has a good photo, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. This range guides vessels bound for Peterhof from St. Petersburg. Located about 3 km (2 mi) northeast of the Petrodevets waterfront. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C4076.611. Petrovskiy Kanal Range Front 2007. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); red light, 3 s on, 3 s off, visible only on the range line. 10 m (30 ft) round cylindrical tower with gallery, mounted on an octagonal concrete platform supported by piles. Lighthouse painted white with a red vertical stripe. Dmitry Shchukin has a good photo, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located about 1.7 km (1.1 mi) northeast of the rear light. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C4076.61.

Petrodvorets West Range Rear Light, June 2008 Flickr Creative Commons photo by Larry Myhre

* Strel'na Range Front

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); green light occulting once every 3 s. 10 m (33 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower mounted on a square concrete base. Tower painted black, base white; the tower also carries a slatted daymark painted white with a red vertical stripe. Vladimir Batarin has a good photo, a second photo and a third photo are available, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the west breakwater at Strel'na. Probably accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C4063.

* Strel'na Range Rear

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 28 m (92 ft); green light occulting once every 3 s. 25 m (82 ft) triangular skeletal tower mounted on a square concrete base. Tower painted black, base white; the tower also carries a rectangular daymark consisting of two white vertical panels with a red vertical panel in the center. A photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located behind the parking lot of the small boat harbor at Strel'na. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C4063.01.

Neva Bay Lighthouses
Note: The waters of Neva Bay, between St. Petersburg and Kronshtadt, are crossed by two main ship channels, the northern one leading to the vicinity of the Gutuevskaya docks and the southern one leading to the Lesnoy docks. A number of lighthouses on concrete piers are found along these channels, especially along the northern channel. Dmitry Shchukin has a photo of a typical light of this group. Unfortunately, these lights are not found on the Admiralty or NGA lists, and the Directory is not able to list them at this time. We hope to find additional information about them.

St. Petersburg City Lighthouses

Lesnoy Mole Range Front Date unknown. Active; focal plane 21 m (69 ft); red light, 2 s on, 1 s off. 16 m (52 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower, painted black. The upper 2/3 of the west side of the tower carries a slatted daymark, painted red with a black vertical stripe. Trabas has a closeup photo by Capt. Peter, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the Lesnoy docks on the St. Petersburg waterfront. Site and tower probably closed to the public. Admiralty C4062; NGA 13072. Lesnoy Mole Range Middle Date unknown. Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); green light, 3 s on, 2 s off. 24 m (79 ft) square skeletal tower, painted black. Trabas has a photo by Capt. Peter, and the shadow of the tower is seen amidst a large number of containers in a Google satellite view. Located at the west end of the containership port; site and tower probably closed to the public. Admiralty C4062.05; NGA 13074. Lesnoy Mole Range Rear Date unknown. Active; focal plane 76 m (249 ft); red light occulting once every 4 s. 73 m (239 ft) round tower with lantern and several galleries, painted with red and white horizontal bands. Larry Myhre's photo is at the top of this page, and the long shadow of the tower is conspicuous in this Google satellite view. This remarkable and nearly-unknown tower is the tallest Russian lighthouse and one of the tallest lighthouses in the world. The range guides ships from the Morskoy Kanal into the commericial harbor of St. Petersburg, on the south side of the city. Located in a dockyard area on the waterfront; site and tower probably closed to the public. Admiralty C4062.2; NGA 13076. Korabel'nyy Kanal Date unknown. Active; focal plane unknown; continuous white, red or green light depending on direction. Approx. 60 m (200 ft) round tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. A photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a quay in the Gutuevskaya docks on the St. Petersburg waterfront. Site and tower probably closed to the public. Admiralty C4074.2; NGA 13078. * Ostrov Krestovskiy Range Front Date unknown. Active (?); focal plane 14 m (46 ft); continuous red light. 12 m (39 ft) round cylindrical tower, painted white with a red vertical stripe. A photo taken from the south and a more distant view from the north are available, and Google has a satellite view. The rear light should be on a similar tower about 200 m (650 ft) to the east, but Google does not show a tower in that area. Krestovskiy Island is at the northwestern corner of the Neva delta in St. Petersburg. Located beside a waterfront boulevard on the southwestern side of the island. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C4076.5.

Lesnoy Mole Range Front Light photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger used by permission

Lakhtinskiy Gavan' Range Rear

2009. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); red light occulting once every 3.5 s, visible only on the range line. 20 m (66 ft) "black structure," according to the Admiralty, carrying a rectangular daymark painted red with a black vertical stripe. No photo available, but Google has an indistinct satellite view. There is a photo of the front light, mounted on an 8 m (26 ft) bottle-shaped tower. The Lakhtinskiy basin is on the west side of Tricentennial Park, off the Maritime Boulevard (Primorskoye Shosse). Site status unknown. Admiralty C4076.71.

* St. Petersburg Rostral Columns

1811. Inactive as aids to navigation. Two ornate red columns with galleries, topped by gas burners on tripods and decorated with six ship's prows. Lights were displayed at the tops of the towers during the nineteenth century and decorative gas lights are lit there on special occasions today. A nice panoramic photo is available, Wikipedia has an article with several photos, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. The columns were originally lit with oil; they have never had modern lamps. Located at the eastern end of Vasilievski Island in downtown St. Petersburg, where the Neva River divides into two channels as it approaches the Gulf of Finland. Site open, towers closed. Site manager: City of St. Petersburg. ARLHS ERU-311.

Zelenogorsk Lighthouses

* Zelenogorskaya Gavan' Range Front

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); red light, 2 s on, 2 s off. 5 m (17 ft) round cylindrical tower with lantern, painted orange with a white vertical stripe on the range line. Zelenogorsk (Terijoki in Finnish) is a town on the north side of the westernmost Gulf of Finland, about 50 km (30 mi) northwest of downtown St. Petersburg. The small harbor here had been abandoned, but it recent years it has been redeveloped as a yacht harbor. It appears that the range lights have been moved, perhaps several times, as this development has proceeded. A 2004 photo shows the front light standing on an undeveloped beach. Wikimedia's 2007 photo of the harbor shows the light standing next to hotels under construction. A February 2008 photo shows both range lights (at the right edge of the image) standing close to the shore. Google's satellite view shows the front light apparently on the quay in front of the hotels. We need better information from this station! Site open, tower closed. RU 2201-1706; Admiralty C4081.5.

* Zelenogorskaya Gavan' Range Rear

Date unknown. Listed as active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); red light, 2 s on, 2 s off. 12 m (39 ft) round cylindrical tower with lantern, painted white with a red vertical stripe on the range line. The present location of this light is unknown. Serge Timoshe has a 2005 photo showing the light in the woods behind the beach. A February 2008 photo shows both range lights (at the right edge of the image) standing close to the shore, but the rear light is not seen here in Google's current satellite view. There is a 2009 photo of this light or a similar light, but the location is uncertain. Located near the waterfront of Zelenogorsk. RU 2201-1707; Admiralty C4081.51.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

• Tricentennial Park (1995). This 22 m (72 ft) round granite tower with an observation room at the top was built as the centerpiece of Tricentennial Park, developed to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the founding of St. Petersburg. Described by Russian Wikipedia's article as a "stylized beacon," it does not appear to be used as an aid to navigation. Google has a satellite view.

Adjoining pages: North: Vyborg Area | East: Lake Ladoga | Southwest: Eastern Estonia | West: Gulf of Finland Islands

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Posted May 22, 2005. Checked and revised April 4, 2012. Lighthouses: 45; lightships: 1. Site copyright 2012 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.