Name and Location

The Kustaanmiekka Lighthouse is a small navigational aid located on the Kustaanmiekka ("Gustav's Knife") promontory of the Suomenlinna sea fortress in Helsinki, Finland. Its official name is Kustaanmiekka Lighthouse, and it guides local ferry and leisure traffic in the narrow strait between Suomenlinna and the mainland.

Construction and History

The exact year of construction for the Kustaanmiekka Lighthouse is not publicly documented. However, it is known that the lighthouse has been operational since the latter half of the 20th century, with no human keepers responsible for its operation. The lighthouse is situated within the UNESCO-protected Suomenlinna fortress area, which was designated a World Heritage Site in 1991.

Architecture and Materials

The Kustaanmiekka Lighthouse is an unmanned beacon/light tower built on a low rocky outcrop guarding the eastern entrance to the harbor channel. Its structure type is a small Finnish beacon made of presumed steel or cast iron on a concrete foundation, with a white (or unpainted metal) tower.

Light and Navigation

The Kustaanmiekka Lighthouse serves as a short-range harbor light, but specific details about its light characteristic and range are not publicly available. The lighthouse is part of the Finnish chart series FIN 3351 (Helsinki inner harbor approaches), which provides navigational information for mariners.

Accessibility and Visiting

The Kustaanmiekka Lighthouse is open to public access, but there is no interior access. Visitors can reach the lighthouse by ferry from Helsinki Market Square (Kauppatori) to Suomenlinna, then walking 5-10 minutes eastward along the main road and over the rampart to the tip of Kustaanmiekka.

Notable Views and Landscape

The surrounding landscape offers sweeping views across the narrow strait (Kustaanmiekka's sound) to the city's south harbor. The area features a rocky shoreline interspersed with 18th-century fortress walls, gun batteries, and mooring points for small craft.

Anecdotes and Folklore

While no famous shipwrecks are recorded specifically at Kustaanmiekka, the narrow passage has challenged mariners since the fortress's founding in 1748. The light itself has operated without human keepers since the latter half of the 20th century.

Technical and Operational Details

The Kustaanmiekka Lighthouse is fully automated, with no keeper's quarters. It remains an active aid to navigation under the authority of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency (Väylävirasto).

Further Information

For further information about Suomenlinna World Heritage Site, please visit https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/583. Additional resources include the Wikidata page Q62062341, Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency publications on minor lights, and the Official Suomenlinna Visitor's Guide at https://visitsuomenlinna.fi.