Vinga Lighthouse

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Vinga Lighthouse
Vinga fyr

Vinga Lighthouse
Location	Vinga island Gothenburg Archipelago Sweden
Coordinates	57°37′55″N 11°36′05″E / 57.63206°N 11.60131°E / 57.63206; 11.60131
Tower
Constructed	1841 (first) 1854 (second)
Foundation	porphyry
Construction	porphyry tower
Automated	1974
Height	29 m (95 ft)
Shape	square tower with balcony and lantern
Markings	unpainted tower, grey metallic lantern dome
Power source	kerosene, electricity
Operator	Swedish Maritime Administration (Sjöfartsverket)[1]
Heritage	governmental listed building
Light
First lit	1890 (current)
Focal height	46 m (151 ft)
Lens	1st order Fresnel lens
Range	25 nautical miles (46 km; 29 mi)
Characteristic	Fl (2) W 30s.
Sweden no.	SV-7547

Vinga Lighthouse (Swedish: Vinga fyr), is a Swedish lighthouse on Vinga island. The present-day lighthouse was built in 1890, although Vinga has been a significant island for mariners long before that. This lighthouse is the third built on the island. It is one of Sweden's most noted lighthouses and a special symbol for the city of Gothenburg.

The first tower was built in 1841, it was the first Swedish lighthouse with lens. A second was built in 1854 to make Vinga a "double light",^[2] since there had been complaints that it was hard to tell the difference between the lighthouse in Skagen, Denmark, and Vinga, Sweden, from afar. The flame ran on colza oil. In the 1880s the need for a better and higher lighthouse was urgent and in 1890 the new lighthouse was built, it ran on paraffin. The lantern on the second lighthouse was removed and it was transformed into a watchtower (the red and gray short tower on the picture). The first lighthouse was demolished and only the foundation remains.^[2]

In 1948, the tower was electrified and in 1974, it was automated. It is now remote controlled by the Swedish Maritime Administration, who wanted to deactivate the lighthouse in 2007 since the commercial shipping did not need it anymore. The proposition met with heavy opposition and as of 2015^[update] the tower is still active.

The Vinga station also has a distinctive red pyramid, a day beacon, adjacent to the tower. It was built in 1857.^[2]

Today, Vinga lighthouse is a popular tourist attraction, and during summer there are often guided tours on the island. The Swedish poet and musician Evert Taube was the son of one of the light keepers. Being born the same year (1890) the third lighthouse was built, he spent his childhood there.^[2] The light shining from Vinga lighthouse is also mentioned in the song Dans på Brännö brygga.

• List of lighthouses and lightvessels in Sweden

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vinga light station.

• Sjofartsverket Archived 2016-04-08 at the Wayback Machine (in English)
• The Swedish Lighthouse Society