Slītere Lighthouse

About this place

Slītere Lighthouse is a red brick tower in Slītere National Park, on the edge of the «Blue Hills», about 6 km from the Baltic Sea. It is the second oldest navigation structure in Latvia, and from the top a wide view opens over coastal forest and the line of the sea, near the northern tip of Kurzeme. The tower was built in 1849 as a daymark without a light, under a conical roof, and it also served to watch for forest fires. A gas lamp was added after the Second World War, and rebuilding finished in 1961. It is 26 m tall, with its light 102.2 m above sea level. It lost its navigation status in 1999 and passed to the environment authority in 2000. The park, Latvia's smallest national park, covers 265 square kilometres, 101 of them at sea. The Blue Hills are the shore of an ancient ice lake. From the top you see a green sea of trees running to the Baltic and a small house with a red roof, with meadows, paths and old dunes scattered below and wet hollows between the dunes. It is 133 km in a straight line from Riga and 14 km from Dundaga Castle. The tower may open only in the warm season, so check times. The stairs are narrow and may not suit anyone afraid of heights, so take care with children. Keep to the paths in the park, as it is protected, and bring repellent and windproof clothes.