Lighthouses of Russia: Gukf of Finland Islands

Russia (Россия, Rossiya in Russian) is by far the world's largest country, spanning a little over 150° in longitude. It is organized as the Russian Federation (Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) with members known as federal subjects (sub'yekty federatsii). Russia is primarily a continental nation but it has important coastlines on the Baltic, Black, and Caspian Seas and very long coastlines on the Arctic Ocean and North Pacific Oceans. To guard these coasts it operates hundreds of lighthouses, many of them historic.

The Gulf of Finland, the eastern arm of the Baltic Sea, extends about 425 km (265 mi) to end at St. Petersburg, Russia's traditional western outlet to the sea. For most of its length the Gulf is 60-120 km (38-75 mi) wide. The eastern quarter of the Gulf's length is surrounded by Russian territory and the western 3/4 separates Finland on the north from Estonia on the south. Finland and Estonia were both parts of the Russian Empire before World War I and Estonia was a member republic of the Soviet Union from 1940 until 1991.

Between Finland and Estonia, near the centerline of the Gulf, there is a ragged string of islands. In the Russian Empire prrior to World War I these islands were included in the Grand Duchy of Finland, an autonomous state within the  Empire. They were retained by Finland when it declared its independence late in 1917, but they were seized by Soviet troops during the Winter War of 1939-40. Under Soviet control they were attached to the Russian Federation and thus they remained as Russian possessions after the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Curly braces {} are used to enclose former Finnish names of some of the light stations .

The Russian word for a lighthouse is mayak (маяк); ostrov is an island, rif is a reef, mys is a cape, bukhta is a bay, zaliv is a larger bay or gulf, proliv is a strait, reka is a river, and gavan' is a harbor.

Russian lighthouses are owned by the Russian Navy and maintained by the Office of Navigation and Oceanography (Управление навигации и океанографии).

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. 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 - Russia - Gulf of Finland and Ostrov Gogland
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas. Photos of the Gulf islands lights are by Capt. Peter Mosselberger.
World of Lighthouses - Russia - Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Lighthouses in Leningrad Oblast
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
Russische Leuchttürme auf historischen Postkarten
Postcard views of historic Russian lighthouses posted by Klaus Huelse.
GPSNautical Charts
Navigation chart for the Gulf of Finland.
Google Maps
Satellite view of the Gulf of Finland.


Gogland (Pohjoiskorkia) Light, July 2010
Wikimedia Creative Commons photo by Alexey Krasovsky

Rodsher and Gogland Lighthouses
Gogland (Suursaari in Finnish, Hogland in Swedish, Hochland in German, all names meaning "high island") is the largest of the central Gulf islands and the closest to the Finnish coast. Now without permanent residents, it is the site of a Russian military base with a heliport. Rodsher (Ruuskeri in Finnish), a tiny island about 22 km (14 mi) west southwest of Gogland, is the westernmost point of Russia except for Kaliningrad.

Ostrov Rodsher (2) {Ruuskeri, Rödskär}
1886 (station established 1806). Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); two white flashes, separated by 3 s, every 15 s. 19 m (62 ft) octagonal cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and double gallery. The tower is unpainted dark red stone; lantern dome painted dark red to match. 1-story keeper's houses in poor condition. A 2023 photo is at right, Trabas has Capt. Peter's 2023 photo, Lightphotos.net has Ilya Tarasov's closeup photo, Viktor Tsarevskiy has additional photos, Qsl.net has two more photos, the Degree Confluence Project has a photo, and Bing has a satellite view of the station. The light station is now a research station with half a dozen 1-story buildings. The original wood lighthouse was replaced in 1886 by a round brick tower; this tower was later encased by the current octagonal concrete shell. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS ERU-058; Admiralty C3932; NGA 13544.
 

Ostrov Rodsher Light, Gulf of Finland, January 2023
Google Maps photo by Plinio Lisboa
 
Severnyy (Northern) Virgin (Ostrova Lensiviri)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12.5 m (41 ft); white flash every 4 s. 13 m (43 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower partially enclosed by a slatted daymark painted red; at the top the tower carries a daymark with 2 balls under a cross. Lightphotos.net has Alexandr Zhukov's closeup photo, Trabas has Capt. Peter's 2023 photo, and Google has a distant satellite view. The two Virgin islands are about 12 km (7.5 mi) east of Rodsher and the same distance southwest of Gogland. Located on the northern island. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty C3934; NGA 13548.
Gogland (Gogland North, Severnyy Goglandskiy) {Suursaari, Pohjoiskorkia, Hogland, Hochland} (5)
1965 (station established 1723). Active (?); focal plane 133 m (436 ft); white light, 3 s on, 4.5 s off. Approx. 17 m (56 ft) round cylindrical concrete block tower with lantern and gallery, painted with red and white horizontal bands. 1-story keeper's house and other light station buildings. Alexey Krasovsky's 2010 photo is at the top of this page, Zahar Mironov has a 2006 closeup photo, Lightphotos.net has Alexey Solovev's excellent photo, Trabas has Capt. Peter's distant view, another distant view is available, and Google has a satellite view. Peter I had a lighthouse built here in 1723, but it's not known how long that light survived. In 1807 the station was established as a range with lights on short stone towers. In 1861 the rear light was replaced by a keeper's house with a large lantern on the roof; Huelse has a historic postcard view of this lighthouse and a 1931 photo is available. The 1861 lighthouse probably did not survive World War II, when Gogland was a base for Soviet troops. It was replaced after the war by a skeletal tower and then by the masonry lighthouse in 1965. A Russian travel agency has built a hotel on the island and is offering tours from Primorsk. Located atop Pohjoiskorkia, a steep hill at the northern end of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ERU-056; Admiralty C5374; NGA 13556.
Mys Lounatrivi (Gogland South, Gogland Yuzhny, Hoglands Södra) (3)
1906 (station established 1726). Active; focal plane 27 m (89 ft); white flash every 6 s. 25.5 m (84 ft) round brick tower with lantern and gallery, mounted on a hexagonal stone base. The tower is unpainted red brick with trim painted white. A 2021 photo (misidentified as Rodsher) is at right, Sergey Gudik has a good 2016 photo, Max Bely has a 2020 photo, Lightphotos.net has Dmitry Rostopshin's 2005 photo, the Degree Confluence Project has a photo of the station, Trabas has a 2023 photo by Capt. Peter, and Google has a satellite view. This is (or was) a light and research station with half a dozen 1-story buildings, and the lighthouse is dwarfed now by a tall communications tower used as part of the vessel traffic separation scheme for the Gulf. Located at the southern tip of the island. Accessible only by boat; a Russian travel agency has built a hotel on the island and is offering tours from Primorsk. Site and tower closed. ARLHS ERU-020(=213); Admiralty C5378; NGA 13552

Mys Lounatrivi Light, Gogland, June 2021
Google Maps photo by Abdullah

Tyuters Lighthouses
Malyy Tyuters (Little Tyuters) Northwest
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); white flash every 6 s. 8 m (26 ft) square skeletal tower. One side of the tower carries a slatted daymark painted white with a red vertical stripe. No photo available and the tower is not seen in Google's distant satellite view. Malyy Tyuters is a small island about 25 km (15 mi) south of Gogland. Located at the northwestern tip of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C3939.4.
Malyy Tyuters (Little Tyuters) Southeast
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); white flash every 6 s. 8 m (26 ft) square skeletal tower. The tower carries a slatted daymark painted white with a red (?) vertical stripe. No photo available but Google has a very fuzzy satellite view. Located at the end of a long spit extending southeastward from the island. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C3939.42.
Bol'shoy Tyuters (Great Tyuters) {Tytärsaari} (2)
1904. Active; focal plane 75 m (246 ft); white light, 1 s on, 1 s off, 3 s on, 9 s off. 21 m (69 ft) hexagonal brick tower. A 2021 photo is at right, Emilia Dzyuba has a 2017 photo, Lightphotos.net has Vladimir Suloev's photo, a 1985 photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Huelse has a historic postcard view showing the original appearance of the lighthouse. Bol'shoy Tyuters is about 15 km (9 mi) east of Malyy Tyuters and 25 km (15 mi) southeast of Gogland. In 2004 the island was incorporated within the Ingermanlandsky National Nature Reserve, part of an international biosphere reserve developed in cooperation with Finland. The island is dangerous due to unexploded World War II mines; in 2005 Swedish and Russian teams removed over 30,000 mines but it is feared that others may remain. Located on the highest point of the island, about 30 km (19 mi) south of Kotka, Finland, and 80 km (50 mi) west northwest of Kurgolovo, Russia. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS ERU-017; Admiralty C3938; NGA 12960.

Bol'shoy Tyuters Light, Bol'shoy Tyuters, August 2021
unattributed Google Maps photo

Sommers and Nerva Lighthouses
Sommers (Someri, Sommars, Ostrov Mayak) {Sommarö} (3)
1945 (station established 1808). Active; focal plane 53 m (174 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 37 m (121 ft) square steel skeletal tower with gallery, painted red; the upper 2/3 of the tower is surrounded by a slatted daymark painted with red and white horizontal bands. Artem Dulin's 2023 drone view is at right, Lightphotos.net has Ilya Tarasov's photo, Trabas has a distant photo by Capt. Peter, Aleksey Krasovsky has a distant 2010 photo, Swedish Wikipedia has an article on the island with a distant view, and Google has a satellite view. Several keeper's houses and other structures survive at this station. The first two lighthouses were round masonry towers about 9 m (30 ft) tall; the second, built in 1866, was destroyed by Finnish troops at the start of the Winter War in 1939. Sommers is a small island about 12 km (7.5 mi) northwest of Moshchnyy and 18 km (11 mi) south of Hanski on the Finnish coast. The shipping lanes for St. Petersburg and for Vyborg diverge on the east side of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS ERU-065; Admiralty C3944; NGA 13276.
Nerva (Ostrov Nerva) (2)
1945 (station established 1867). Active; focal plane 44 m (144 ft); white flash every 8 s. 37 m (121 ft) square steel skeletal tower with gallery, painted red; the upper half of the tower is surrounded by a slatted daymark painted white with a black horizontal band at the top. Lightphotos.net has Alexandr Zhukov's photo and a good view from the sea by Alexey Solovev, Trabas has a distant 2004 photo by Capt. Peter, and Bing has a satellite view. Several keeper's houses and other structures survive at this station. This light is a leading light for vessels on the reach between Gogland and Sommers. The original lighthouse was a 28 m (92 ft) round masonry tower; it did not survive World War II. Located on a small island about 18 km (11 mi) east northeast of Sommers. Site and tower closed (landing on the island is forbidden). ARLHS ERU-053; Admiralty C3946; NGA 13272.

Moshchny Lighthouses
Moshchny (Lavansaari in Finnish and Lövskär in Swedish) is a roughly circular island about 4 km (2.5 mi) in diameter and about 20 km (13 mi) northwest of Kurgolovo.

Vigrund
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); white flash every 5 s. 20 m (66 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower, painted red. Mikhail Pozdnyakov has a 2010 photo and Bing has a satellite view. Located on a small island about 25 km (15 mi) southwest of Moschnyy. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS ERU-230; Admiralty C3940; NGA 12964.

Sommers Light, Gulf of Finland, August 2023
Google Maps photo by Artem Dulin
Moshchny (Moschny, Bashnya) {Lavensaari}
1910. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 29 m (95 ft) hexagonal cast iron skeletal tower with lantern and gallery, painted red; lantern dome painted white. Wikimapia has a photo and Lightphotos.net has Ilya Tarasov's closeup photo but the tower is not seen in Google's distant satellite view. Located on the northern tip of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS ERU-154; Admiralty C3952; NGA 13280.
Ostrov Moshchny Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); white light, 1.5 s on, 1.5 s off. 19 m (62 ft) square concrete tower, painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. Andrey Chemizov's 2012 photo is at right, Lightphotos.net has Ilya Tarasov's closeup photo, Wikimapia has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the northeast side of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Admiralty C3954.
Ostrov Moshchny Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 34 m (112 ft); white light, 1.5 s on, 1.5 s off. 29 m (95 ft) square concrete tower, painted red; the tower also carries a rectangular daymark painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. This tower is in the background of an Ilya Tarasov photo of the front light and the shadow of the light tower is seen in Google's fuzzy satellite view. Located 415 m (1/4 mi) behind the front light. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Admiralty C3954.1.
Promezhutochny Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); quick-flashing white light. 16 m (52 ft) square skeletal tower, painted red; the tower also carries a rectangular daymark painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. No photo available and shadow hides the tower in Bing's satellite view. Located on the east side of Ostrov Moshchny. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Admiralty C3958.

Range Front Light, Ostrov Moshchnyy, August 2012
Google Maps photo by Andrey Chemizov
Promezhutochny Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 35 m (115 ft); white light, 2 s on, 2 s off. 26 m (82 ft) square skeletal tower, painted red; the tower also carries a rectangular daymark painted white with a black vertical stripe on the range line. No photo available but the shadow of the light tower is seen in Google's satellite view. Located 410 m (1/4 mi) behind the front light. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Admiralty C3958.1.
Ostrov Malyy
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); white light, 2 s on, 4 s off. 27 m (89 ft) skeletal tower, painted red. The tower carries a slatted daymark painted white with a red vertical stripe. No photo available and the tower is not seen in Google's distant satellite view. Mikhail Pozdnyakov has a photo of the view from atop the tower. Ostrov Malyy is a small island about 8 km (5 mi) due east of Moshchny. Located on the highest point of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS ERU-219; Admiralty C3964; NGA 13284.

Seskar Lighthouses
Easternmost of the Gulf of Finland islands, Seskar (Seiskari in Finnish) once had a Finnish community of more than 800 residents, but it is now uninhabited.

Seskar {Seiskari} (3)
1858 (station established in the 1600s). Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); two white flashes, separated by 6.5 s, every 30 s. 31 m (101 ft) round tower with lantern and gallery, painted red with a broad white horizontal band covering most of the lower half. A large clamshell Fresnel lens is in use. The keepers houses were occupied by keepers as of 1998. Matvey Churakov's 2022 photo is at right, Lightphotos.net has Vladimir Suloev's closeup photo and an aerial view, Marina Mokshina has a closeup, Trabas has a 2018 photo of the light in action, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view of the station. Sweden built a lighthouse here in the 17th century; Russia replaced it with a brick tower in 1807 before building the present lighthouse in 1858. The status of this site is unclear; Pete Amass visited the station and climbed the tower in 1998 but there is a 2004 report that the island has only recently been opened to foreign visitors. Located on the northwestern point of Ostrov Lesnoy, the main island of the Seskar island group, about 16 km (10 mi) northwest of Mys (Cape) Kolgampja. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS ERU-005; Admiralty C3968; NGA 13288.
Seskar South (Pen-Kheta-Stor)
Date unknown. Inactive since 2024. 24 m (79 ft) square skeletal tower, painted red. The upper 2/3 of the tower is enclosed with a slatted daymark painted white with red vertical stripes. Andrey Chemizov has a closeup photo, Trabas has a photo, Wikimapia has a view from the sea (fourth photo in the row), and Google has a satellite view. Located on the southeastern tip of Ostrov Lesnoy. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS ERU-223; Admiralty C3972; NGA 13292.

Seskar Light, January 2022
Google Maps photo by Matvey Churakov

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Southeastern Finland | Southeast: South Ingria | South: Northeastern Estonia

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Posted May 22, 2005. Checked and revised October 10, 2025. Lighthouses: 18. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.