Litløy lighthouse
Encyclopedia
Litløy lighthouse is located on Litløya
in Bø
municipality, Nordland
, Norway
. The area is called Vesterålen
and is overlooking the Lofoten
islands.
The lighthouse and the adjoining buildings were built in 1912, and the light itself was electified in 1959. In the mid-1980s the light was automated. The people who worked at Litløy Lighthouse remained, however, first and foremost to do maintenance at the lighthouse and nearby beacons. Secondly, there was a need to keep shipping activity under observation, both to control and assist if need be. There was also a metrological weather station on the island. Eventually the cost of keeping the staff at the island caused the lighthouse to be depopulated 26 June, 2003.
In 2005/06, the Norwegian Coastal Administration
(NCA) sold 20 lighthouses along the coast of Norway. One of these was Litløy Lighthouse. Bø municipality was offered to buy the lighthouse, but chose not to accept the offer. It was then sold to Ellen Marie Hansteensen. She bought the lighthouse in order to make it accessible to the public, in accordance to Norwegian law (Stortingsmelding 28 (2000–2001).
Since 2006, Hansteensen has renovated much of the property to offer accommodation and daytime visitors an opportuity to explore the island. Stein Halvorsen is the project's architect. There are also guided tours of the facility, on request. The project at Litløy lighthouse has been documented by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (Norge Rundt, autumn of 2006, ’Der ingen skulle tru at nokon kunne bu’, autumn of 2011)
The lighthouse owner is the island's only remaining inhabitant.
NCA removed the diesel driven lighthouse beacon in November 2009. It was replaced by a light running on solar power, batteries and has a double LED 350 lightbulb. The new signal is one white blink, every 10 seconds. The light is visible for 12 nautical miles (22.2 km). The old light was visible for 20 nautical miles (37 km).
Litløya
Litløya is an island overlooking Lofoten in Bø municipality, in Vesterålen, Norway. The 0.67 km2 island is best known for its lighthouse. Its highest point is «Litløytinden» measuring 103 meters above sea level....
in Bø
Bø, Nordland
Bø is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Vesterålen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Straume...
municipality, Nordland
Nordland
is a county in Norway in the North Norway region, bordering Troms in the north, Nord-Trøndelag in the south, Norrbottens län in Sweden to the east, Västerbottens län to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The county was formerly known as Nordlandene amt. The county administration is...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The area is called Vesterålen
Vesterålen
Vesterålen is a district and archipelago in Nordland, Norway, just north of Lofoten.-The name:The Norse forms of the name were Vestráll and Vestrálar . The first element is vestr n west, the last element is áll m ' sound, strait'...
and is overlooking the Lofoten
Lofoten
Lofoten is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Though lying within the Arctic Circle, the archipelago experiences one of the world's largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude.-Etymology:...
islands.
The lighthouse and the adjoining buildings were built in 1912, and the light itself was electified in 1959. In the mid-1980s the light was automated. The people who worked at Litløy Lighthouse remained, however, first and foremost to do maintenance at the lighthouse and nearby beacons. Secondly, there was a need to keep shipping activity under observation, both to control and assist if need be. There was also a metrological weather station on the island. Eventually the cost of keeping the staff at the island caused the lighthouse to be depopulated 26 June, 2003.
In 2005/06, the Norwegian Coastal Administration
Norwegian Coastal Administration
Norwegian Coastal Administration is a Norwegian government agency responsible for the water transport infrastructure along the 92,000 km Coast of Norway. It is responsible for coastal navigation infrastructure, pilotage and harbour and port infrastructure, including lighthouses...
(NCA) sold 20 lighthouses along the coast of Norway. One of these was Litløy Lighthouse. Bø municipality was offered to buy the lighthouse, but chose not to accept the offer. It was then sold to Ellen Marie Hansteensen. She bought the lighthouse in order to make it accessible to the public, in accordance to Norwegian law (Stortingsmelding 28 (2000–2001).
Since 2006, Hansteensen has renovated much of the property to offer accommodation and daytime visitors an opportuity to explore the island. Stein Halvorsen is the project's architect. There are also guided tours of the facility, on request. The project at Litløy lighthouse has been documented by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (Norge Rundt, autumn of 2006, ’Der ingen skulle tru at nokon kunne bu’, autumn of 2011)
The lighthouse owner is the island's only remaining inhabitant.
NCA removed the diesel driven lighthouse beacon in November 2009. It was replaced by a light running on solar power, batteries and has a double LED 350 lightbulb. The new signal is one white blink, every 10 seconds. The light is visible for 12 nautical miles (22.2 km). The old light was visible for 20 nautical miles (37 km).