Swedish Mountain Lighthouse

The Góra Szwedów Lighthouse, located on the Polish Baltic coast within the administrative boundaries of the city of Hel, is a decommissioned facility that played an important role in maritime navigation until 1990. Built in 1936, it replaced an earlier lighthouse in Jastarnia-Bór. Its 17-meter openwork steel structure, set on a 2-meter concrete base, was topped with a circular gallery and originally featured a domed roof. The automated lighthouse, with electric lighting, was designed to facilitate nighttime navigation, and its system of lights, including an isophase characteristic, was used to determine a vessel's position relative to the shore. Although the lighthouse served a practical function for many years, it began to fail, especially in winter, and after being decommissioned in 1990, it was no longer in use. Today, partially vandalized, it is a historical monument but remains unsecured and neglected, leading to further degradation. A small building near the lighthouse is also deteriorating. Góra Szwedów was a military area, which restricted access to the lighthouse. It was only after the military status was lifted that its further destruction began. Interestingly, the alignment of the lights at Góra Szwedów and the Hel Lighthouse significantly facilitated navigation in the area, and the history and architecture of this structure are linked to the development of navigational technology in the 20th century. Today, the Góra Szwedów Lighthouse stands as a testament to a bygone era in the history of the Polish coast.