Lighthouses of Russia: Ob River

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 85 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 Ocean. To guard these coasts it operates hundreds of lighthouses, many of them historic.

The Ob River is the westernmost of the three great rivers of Siberia, flowing northward into the Kara Sea, an embayment of the Arctic Ocean. Since roads are scarce in Siberia the major rivers are important arteries of transportation. We know of only two lighthouses on this important inland waterway system, although there may be others.

The Russian word for a lighthouse is mayak (маяк); mys is a cape and ostrov is an island. Aids to navigation on Russia's lakes and rivers are presumably maintained by the River Transport division of the Russian Maritime Board. Since aids to navigation on these inland waterways are not listed on international light lists we have no information on what lighthouses are active or, if they are active, on their light patterns.

Lighthouses
* Novosibirsk Locks Entrance
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 9 m (30 ft); red light, characteristic unknown. Approx. 7.5 m (25 ft) octagonal cylindrical concrete tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. A photo is at right, Aleksandra Nechaeva has a 2016 photo, Alexey Barinov also has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse marks the northern (lower) entrance to a canal that leads vessels to a series of locks bypassing the Novosibirsk Dam. Completed in 1956, the dam created the Novosibirsk Reservoir (informally known as the Ob Sea), a lake 160 km (100 mi) long. Located in Novosibirsk, on the east side of the Ob on the point of land between the river and the canal. Site open, tower closed.
* Ruyon-Gorod (Urtam)
2015. Active; focal plane about 25 m (82 ft); white light, characteristic unknown. 17 m (56 ft) octagonal 2-stage tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern dome painted red. A photo and a second photo are available and Google has an indistinct satellite view. The lighthouse is on the site of a proposed business development. It does not have any clear navigational purpose. Located on the west bank of the Ob just north of the town of Urtam in southern Tomsk Oblast. Site open, tower closed.

Novosibirsk Light
Novosibirsk Locks Entrance Light, June 2006
ex-Panoramio photo copyright dog25; used by permission

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Yamalo-Nenetsia | East: Lake Baikal | West: Volga and Don

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Created November 10, 2011. Checked and revised December 29, 2022. Lighthouses: 2. Site copyright 2022 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.