ESTONIA

ESTONIA / EESTI.

Estonian lighthouses.
Kõpu lighthouse.
Second stamp in a set of 2, issued on 25.02.2000.
Face value: 3.60 Estonian kroon.
Design: Roman Matkiewicz (b. Tallinn, 27.02.1966).
Printing: Offset lithography.
Print: 1,014,720 copies.

Catalogs
- AFA No. 393.
- Michel No. 366.
- Scott No. 389.
- StampWorld No. 399.
- Stanley Gibbons No.
- Yvert et Tellier No. 354.

Kõpu Lighthouse (Estonian: Kõpu tuletorn) is located in Mägipe village, northwestern of the island of Hiiumaa. It is one of the oldest lighthouses in the world, having been in continuous use since its completion in 1531. This lighthouse marks the Hiiu Shoal (Estonian: Hiiu madal, Swedish: Neckmansgrund) and warns ships away from the shoreline. Light from Kõpu Lighthouse can be used for navigation as far as 26 nautical miles (48 km or 30 mi) away. It was previously known by its Swedish name, Övre Dagerort. The lighthouse is built at the top of the highest hillock of Hiiumaa island, Tornimägi (English: Tower Hill, 68 m or 223 ft). The height of the building itself is 37.7 m (124 ft), and the light is 103.6 m (340 ft) above sea level, making it the highest coastal light on the Baltic Sea. Due to deterioration, the lighthouse underwent frequent repairs; major repairs were in completed in 1957 and 1970. During the repairs in years 1978–81 on the occasion of the 450th anniversary of the lighthouse, it was covered with a reinforced concrete shell and perchlorovinyl yellow paint. The lantern room of the lighthouse was renovated in 2001 and the tower was last repainted, with whitewash, in 2012.