Narva-Jõesuu to open lighthouse to tourists from August 3
Narva-Jõesuu city government has leased its local lighthouse, which it intends to open to visitors starting in August. Local leaders hope Estonia's easternmost lighthouse will become the coastal resort town's newest tourist attraction.
Located in the northeasternmost tip of Estonia, the red and white striped lighthouse has stood at the mouth of the Narva River for nearly 70 years already, and throughout all this time it has remained closed to visitors. Soon, however, visitors will be welcome to come enjoy the view from the lighthouse over Narva Bay.
The city government has leased the lighthouse from the Transport Administration for a ten-year period, and intends to turn it into a local tourist attraction.
Mayor Maksim Iljin says that, compared with other lighthouses, the view from Narva-Jõesuu Lighthouse is still something special. "And your perspective varies, whether toward Narva-Jõesuu Beach or toward Russia, since our lighthouse is located right on the border here," he added.
Admission is slated to be set at €5.
The first unofficial visitors had the chance to climb the lighthouse for free on Thursday, and they were satisfied with the view from the top.
"This is a fantastic spot, and to see so many countries at once in one picture and across the water!" commented Urbo, a visitor from Jõgeva County. "This place is a sightseeing attraction unto itself. If you don't visit Narva-Jõesuu Lighthouse, then you haven't really visited Ida-Viru County at all."
Narva-Jõesuu city government has longer-term plans for the lighthouse too.
"Our plan is to first tidy up the property around the lighthouse, and on top of that we also have an ongoing project to restore the pier," Iljin highlighted. "We're hoping to pull all of these things together within a couple of years to attract as many more people here as possible, because Narva-Jõesuu is of course primarily a resort town."
The 30 meter high lighthouse needs some work inside, and the city government is also working on figuring out how to swap out the metal grate obstructing the sea view with transparent glass.
Narva-Jõesuu Lighthouse will officially be opening to tourists from midday on Saturday, August 3. The lighthouse will initially be open to visitors on weekends and during bigger city festivals.
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Editor: Merili Nael, Aili Vahtla
