Name and Location

Svjetionik Sestrica Vela (Sestrica Vela Lighthouse) is a small but historically significant lighthouse located off the southern coast of Croatia, marking the approaches to the town of Korčula in the Adriatic Sea. Its address is Otok Sestrice 1, 20260 Korčula, Grad Korčula, Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Croatia.

Construction and History

The lighthouse was officially commissioned in 1871 during the Austro-Hungarian period to improve safety on the busy southern Adriatic trade routes. It remains an active aid to navigation under the management of Plovput, the Croatian state company responsible for maritime signals.

Architecture and Materials

The lighthouse is a cylindrical masonry tower with a lantern and gallery, attached to a single-story keeper's house (now unoccupied). The materials used are local limestone rubble bound with lime mortar; the lantern room is framed in cast iron and topped with a small dome (painted white).

Light and Navigation

Although specific technical details are not publicly documented, it is estimated that the focal plane may be approximately 15-20 meters above sea level with a visible range of 7-10 nautical miles.

Accessibility and Visiting

• The islet has no public pier or jetty; landing is possible only by small boat. The tower and keeper's quarters are fenced off and in derelict condition, making it not open to the public.
• However, the lighthouse can be best seen from hired boat tours around Korčula or from vantage points on the southern tip of Korčula Island.

Notable Views and Landscape

The uninhabited islet is fringed with Mediterranean maquis and rocky shoreline—typical Adriatic landscape with pine and juniper. Nearby attractions on Korčula proper include Korčula Old Town, local wineries, and beaches at Lumbarda. Boat routes often feature a circumnavigation of Sestrice islets on sunset or snorkeling trips.

Anecdotes and Folklore

Local seafarers tell of fog-bound nights in the late 19th century when the keeper of Sestrica Vela would row across to Korčula for supplies in a wooden dinghy, guided only by the glow of his own lantern—long before the light was automated.

Technical and Operational Details

The lighthouse is automated, although the date of automation is not publicly recorded; it likely occurred in the mid-20th century. The managing authority is Plovput d.o.o., the Croatian maritime traffic authority. No records of on-site radar or AIS retransmission are available; functions purely as a visual light beacon.

Further Information

For further reading, refer to Plovput's Svjetionik Sestrica Vela page (Croatian), Wikimedia Commons – any available photographs under "Sestrica Vela Lighthouse", hr-Wikipedia: Svjetionik Otočić Sestrice Vela – Korčula, and OpenStreetMap entry: way/256427167.