The Republic of Lithuania (Lietuva in Lithuanian) is located on the southeast side of the Baltic Sea, south of Latvia and north of the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. The coast of Lithuania is relatively short, extending south to north about 185 km (115 mi). The southern half of the coast features the northern part of the Curonian Spit (Kuršių Nerija) and behind the spit is the broad and shallow lagoon known as the Curonian Sound (Kuršių Marios). The sound empties into the Baltic through a narrow channel at its north end. The country's major port, Klaipėda, is located on this channel. From the late 18th Century until World War I most of Lithuania was part of the Russian Empire and the coastal regions were part of Prussia and later Germany. Under German rule Klaipėda was known as Memel. Following the war Lithuania asserted its independence in 1918 and occupied Memel and the coastal region in 1923. In World War II the Soviet Union occupied Lithuania and annexed it as one of the socialist republics within the Union. As the collapse of the Soviet Union approached in 1990 Lithuania became the first of the Soviet republics to resume its independence. Lithuania is divided into ten counties but the entire coastal region is in Klaipėda County. The county is subdivided into seven municipalities. The Lithuanian word for a lighthouse is švyturys. In Lithuanian sala is an island, ragas is a cape, rifas is a reef, jlanka is a bay, ankštas is a strait, upė is a river, and uostas is a port or harbor. The Baltic Sea is called the Baltijos Jūra in Lithuania. In the listing the historical German names of the light stations are placed in curly brackets {}. Coastal and Klaipėda harbor aids to navigation are regulated by the Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration (Lietuvos Transporto Saugos Administracija or LTSA) but since 2001 the actual operation of the lights has been assigned to the Lighthouse and Hydrography Service of the Klaipėda State Seaport (Klaipėdos Uostas). Aids to navigation on the Curonian Sound and Nemunas River system are managed by the Inland Waters Navigation Inspectorate (Valstybinė Vidaus Vandenų Laivybos Inspekcija, or VVVLI). ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. LT numbers are from the Lithuanian light list. Light List numbers are from volume C of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 116.
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Information available on lost lighthouses: Notable faux lighthouses: |
Adjoining pages: North: Western Latvia | South: Kaliningrad
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Posted April 21, 2005. Checked and revised July 10, 2024. Lighthouses: 17. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.