site.btaOldest Lighthouse in Bulgaria Open to Visitors on World Lighthouse Day, August 18

The Shabla lighthouse, which has been a landmark for ships in the Black Sea since 1856, was open to visitors on August 18, World Lighthouse Day, between 9:30 am and 4:30 pm, its longtime keeper Nanyo Nanev told BTA.

The Shabla lighthouse is the tallest and oldest in the Black Sea, Nanev said. Its flashing light is visible from a distance of 17 nautical miles. It was built in 1756. There is one older lighthouse located on the European side of the Bosphorus, Rumeli Feneri, which was built in 1583, he pointed out. 

The Shabla lighthouse is 32 meters high. It was made only of stone and mortar. On Sunday, visitors could see the structure of the tower from the inside, which is unique, has withstood earthquakes and weather, Nanev said. There is also an exhibit that includes used generators and the old lighthouse head, as well as photographs. Visitors can take pictures on the balcony on the first floor.

"With each modification of the external part of the lighthouse facility and change of the signal, our service is obliged to notify seafarers from all over the world," Nanev pointed out. When a ship passes by, they see the lights and use a lighthouse book to find out which lights are repeated at which seconds to identify the Shable lighthouse, he explained. Each lighthouse has a certain precise signal that must not be repeated 200-300 miles away to avoid confusing ships.

Nanev has been working at the Shabla lighthouse since January 1, 1992, and he is planning to retire soon. Seven lighthouses along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast are staffed, one of which is the Shabla lighthoise with five lighthouse keepers. There are lighthouses that are automatic and periodically serviced, Nanev also said about the future of marine lighthouses.

World Lighthouse Day has been celebrated since 1993 on the Saturday and Sunday in the third week of August at the initiative of Scotsmen John Forsyth and Mike Dalrymple, who set up an amateur radio station in a lighthouse with the idea of ​​communicating with other radio amateurs who had also established their radios in lighthouses. In 1993, 11 radio stations joined the initiative, in 1999, 204 lighthouses from 36 countries participated. Currently, about 500 lighthouses in more than 50 countries are included in the initiative, and the idea is for people to learn more about the role of lighthouses in ensuring the safety of maritime transport.