Cultural Heritage in the Baltic Sea States
   
 
Lighthouses    
are some of the oldest aids to navigation and have
marked the main highways along our coasts for centuries. Throughout their history they have benefited from the development of new technology and increasingly automated equipment. Ironically these same advantages have gradually eroded the need for manned lighthouses. Today the majority of lights world-wide are automatically operated and no longer require personnel. Many others have been decommissioned from service. Continual exposure to the harsh maritime environment and no regular maintenance meansthese buildings rapidly deteriorate.
It is this threat which many Baltic Lights now face.
 
What future is there for our Baltic Lights?

Lighthouses are:
• A guarantee of safe passage
• Advanced technological systems and equipment
• Landmarks in the coastal landscape
• Historic Monuments
• Distinctive Buildings
• Sources of Cultural History
• Tourism and Recreation
• Centres for Study and Research
• Holiday homes

By developing their potential as historic and cultural monuments it is possible for more of them to be guaranteed a safe passage for the benefit of future generations.


Lindesnes lighthouse, Norway:a guarantee of safe passage to and from the Baltic Sea. © Thor Ivar Hansen.
 
  © Polish Maritime Museum