Lighthouses of Finland: Lappi

The Republic of Finland (Suomi in Finnish) is a country of northern Europe with coastlines facing south on the Gulf of Finland (Suomenlahti) and west on the Gulf of Bothnia (Pohjanlahti), both arms of the Baltic Sea. Finland also administers the Åland Islands (Ahvenanmaa), an archipelago at the junction of the two gulfs. After centuries of rule by Sweden, Finland was conquered by Russia in 1809 and became an autonomous grand duchy within the Russian Empire. The country declared its independence from Russia at the start of the Russian Revolution in 1917. It lost some of its eastern territory to Russia as a result of World War II but has retained its independence.

Finland is divided into nineteen regions (maakunta) and the regions are divided into municipalities. This page includes the lighthouses of the Lappi (Lapland) Region at the northern end of the Gulf of Bothnia, locally called the Bothnian Bay (Perämeri in Finnish, Bottenviken in Swedish). It is shallow, with numerous shoals and islands, creating a need for many navigational aids.

The Finnish word for a lighthouse is majakka (plural majakat). Saari is an island, luoto is an islet or skerry, niemi is a cape or headland, niemimaa is a peninsula, lahti is a bay, salmi is a strait, joki is a river, and satama is a port or harbor. Swedish is a second official language in Finland, and some of the lighthouses are commonly known by their Swedish names.

Lighthouses in Finland are maintained by the Waterways Section of the Finnish Transport Agency (Liikennevirasto).

Special thanks to Teemu Vehkaoja for photos and information on lighthouses of this area.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. SU numbers are from the official Finnish light list. Admiralty numbers are from volume C of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 116.

General Sources
Online List of Lights - Finland
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
Finskt fyrväsende
Photos and information posted by the Swedish Lighthouse Society.
Galleria Majakat
Photos posted by Kimmo Koivunen.
World of Lighthouses - Finland
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Lighthouses in Finland
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
Lighthouses in Finland
Aerial photos posted by Marinas.com.
Weitere Europäische Leuchttürme auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard images posted by Klaus Huelse.
List of Lights
The Finnish light list is available for download.
Finnish Lighthouse Society
The national lighthouse preservation association.
GPSNavigationCharts
Navigation chart information for western Finland.
Navionics Charts
Navigational chart for western Finland.


Keminkraaseli Light, Kemi, July 2011
photo copyright Antti; used by permission

Simo (Coastwise Approach) Lighthouses
Härkäletto
1939. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); flash every 3 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 11 m (36 ft) pentagonal concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Tower painted black, lantern white. Jani Peurasaari has a 2017 photo (also seen at right) and a more distant view, Trabas has Teemu Vehkaoja's closeup photo, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse has twelve sectors guiding vessels on various courses to and from the Kemi area. Located on a small island about 8 km (5 mi) south of Simoniemi near the border of Oulu Province. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS FIN-053; SU-8888; Admiralty C4100; NGA 18792.
Ykskivi
1874 (unlit until 1954). Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); flash every 4 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 19 m (62 ft) hexagonal wood tower with a pyramidal roof. The light is shown through a small window cut in the lower portion of the tower. Three sides of the tower are painted red and the other three are white. A closeup is available, Rauli Rautavuori has a photo showing one of the white sides, Trabas has Teemu Vehkaoja's photo, and Google has a satellite view. This is one of the many historic daybeacons in service in northern Finland. Its light guides vessels leaving Kemi. Located on the island of Ykskivi, 3.3 km (2 mi) south of the fishing harbor of Karsikko and about 12 km (7.5 mi) southeast of Kemi. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. . SU-8907; Admiralty C4098.5; NGA 18824.

Härkäletto Light, Kemi, July 2017
Google Maps photo by Jani Peurasaari

Bothnian Bay (Southern Approach) Lighthouses
Kemi 1
1975. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); white flash every 4 s. 25 m (82 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower, incorporating keeper's quarters, with two galleries and a helipad on top. It appears that the original lantern has been removed and the light is now mounted at the edge of the helipad. Lighthouse painted with red and black horizontal bands. A photo is at right and Jedi Seppänen has a photo but the light is not shown in Google's satellite view. Located on a shoal about 22 km (14 km) southwest of Kemi; this location is very near the Swedish border on the centerline of the gulf. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FIN-016; SU-8874; Admiralty C4082; NGA 18772.
Kemi 2 (2)
1981 (station established 1973). Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 16 m (52 ft) steel and concrete post with double gallery. The tower is white with a red horizontal band. The light is not shown in Google's satellite view. . The Kemi 2 lighthouse replaced the lightship Kemi, which is now moored at the Finnish Maritime Museum in Kotka. The 1973 lighthouse failed almost immediately; it was removed in 1974 and not replaced until 1981. Located on a shoal about 16 km (10 mi) southwest of Kemi. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS FIN-017; SU-9093;Admiralty C4082.5; NGA 18796.
 
Kemi 3
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); six quick white flashes and one long white flash every 10 s. 12 m (39 ft) concrete tower, upper half painted yellow and lower half painted black. No photo available and the light is not seen in Google's satellite view. This light marks a fork in the channels approaching Kemi. Located about 4 km (2.5 mi) west of the Keminkraaseli lighthouse. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. SU-11181; Admiralty C4083.5; NGA 18900.

Kemi Harbor Lighthouses
Kemi is a city of about 20,000 residents at the northern end of the Gulf and Bay of Bothnia. Kemi's modern industrial and commercial harbor areas are on and around the island of Ajos, which extends southward from the city reaching deeper water in the Bay of Bothnia.

Keminkraaseli
1937. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); three flashes every 12 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 24 m (79 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white with a black horizontal band at the top of the tower. A photo is at the top of this page, Trabas has Teemu Vehkaoja's photo, Heli Rajavaara has a 2022 closeup photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a gravel bar about 6 km (3.5 mi) south of Kemi. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS FIN-018; SU-8887; Admiralty C4083; NGA 18828.
Kemi 1 Light
Kemi 1 Light
Finnish Maritime Administration photo
Rytikaripenger Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); red light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 21 m (69 ft) square skeletal tower carrying a large rectangular daymark colored red with a yellow vertical stripe. Trabas has a photo and the shadow of the tower is seen in Bing's satellite view. Located in the Rytikari industrial area south of Kemi and east of Ajos. Site and tower closed. SU-8875; Admiralty C4096.41; NGA 18872.
Ajoskrunni Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); yellow light, 2 s on, 6 s off. 21 m (69 ft) square skeletal tower carrying a large rectangular daymark colored red with a yellow vertical stripe. Trabas has a photo and Google has a satellite view. Located on the island of Ajoskrunni about 4 km (2.5 mi) southeast of the Ajos waterfront. Site and tower closed. SU-9061; Admiralty C4095.1; NGA 18840.
Ajos Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); yellow light, 1 s on, 1 s off. 20 m (66 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower carrying a large rectangular daymark colored red with a yellow vertical stripe. Trabas has a photo, the light is at the right edge of Jussi Luostarinen's photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of a quay at Kemi's Ajos harbor. Site and tower closed. SU-8911; Admiralty C4084; NGA 18892.
Ajos Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); yellow light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 33 m (108 ft) triangular skeletal tower carrying a large rectangular daymark colored red with a yellow vertical stripe. Trabas has a photo, Google has the street view seen at right, and Bing has an indistinct satellite view. Located 1130 m (0.7 mi) north of the front light. Site and tower closed. SU-8913; Admiralty C4084.1; NGA 18896.
#Ajos Breakwater (North End)
1947. Inactive since the early 1980s at least. This was a 6 m (20 ft) octagonal cylindrical concrete tower with gallery; lantern removed. Lower half of the tower was painted red, upper half white. A closeup photo is available and Google has a distant satellite view of the former location. Located at the north end of the detached breakwater at Kemi. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ex-Admiralty C4084.4.
* Kemin Kirkko (Kemi Church) (Mansikkanokka Range Rear)
1928. Active; focal plane 41 m (135 ft); continuous red light. The light is shown through a window under the clock on the church steeple. E.R. Vaa has a photo, Trabas has a photo, C.-J. Riblom has another photo, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Located in downtown Kemi. Site open, tower closed. SU-9004; Admiralty C4086.1; NGA 18948.1.

Ajos Range Rear Light, Kemi, August 2009
Google Maps street view

Tornio Lighthouses
Tornio is a city of about 20,000 residents 28 km (17.5 mi) west of Kemi at the mouth of the Torne River; the river is the border between Finland and Sweden. Two of the range lights guiding vessels to Tornio are in Sweden.

Mainua (Kraaseli) Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 26.5 m (86.5 ft); white light, 2 s on, 6 s off. Approx. 25 m (82 ft) triangular skeletal tower carrying a large daymark colored red with a yellow vertical stripe. No photo available but Bing has a distant satellite view. The range guides vessels on a long reach from the Kemi 3 Light toward Tornio. Located at the southeastern tip of Mainua, an island about 8 km (5 mi) southeast of the Röyttä docks. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. SU-8880; Admiralty C5694.1; NGA 18964.
Röyttä Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); flash every 3 s, white, red or green depending on direction. The light and a large daymark colored red with a yellow vertical stripe are mounted on a wind turbine tower. Trabas has a photo and Google has a satellite view. Located on the waterfront at Röyttä, Tornio's commercial port on the east side of the mouth of the Torne River. Site and tower closed. SU-8885; Admiralty C5697.1; NGA 18972.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: South: North Ostrobothnia | West: Sweden: Northern Bothnia

Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key

Posted October 8, 2007. Checked and revised October 23, 2023. Lighthouses: 14. Site copyright 2023 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.