Technical monuments

Hel Lighthouse

At the very tip of the Hel Peninsula stands an octagonal tower of red brick — Hel Lighthouse, 41.5 metres tall, with a light reaching 17 nautical miles (31.5 km). From the terrace you can see the open sea, the harbour and both shores of the Bay of Gdańsk. The station is administered by the Maritime Office in Gdynia.

From coal crane to electric light

Warning sailors on Hel began after 1647, when a wooden crane with a coal-fired kettle was set up on the headland; after a fire in 1667 a tar container was hoisted on a 20-metre mast. The masonry lighthouse was built between 1806 and 1826 and opened on 1 August 1827. In 1938 electric light of 3,000 W replaced the rapeseed-oil lamps, and the white-and-red stripes were painted in 1929.

Blown up to thwart the enemy

On 16 September 1939, during the defence of Hel, the lighthouse was blown up on the orders of Commander Włodzimierz Steyer, to make it harder for German artillery to aim. The Germans rebuilt it in 1942, ten metres south-east of the original foundation.

The technical heart of the tower

The light source is a 1,000 W bulb which, when it burns out, rotates 180 degrees on its own to bring in a spare. From 1957 the station transmitted the Morse signal "HL", and since 2003 the tower has formed part of the VTS Bay of Gdańsk vessel traffic system.

Planning your visit

You climb the terrace by stairs — from the top you can spot the lighthouses of Jastarnia, Rozewie and Gdańsk North Port. Nearby you will find the seal sanctuary of the University of Gdańsk's Marine Station and a fisheries museum, so reserve half a day for the headland.