Batumi Lighthouse

The lighthouse has more than a century and a half of history behind it. Its light, having made its first appearance in the 1890s, reaches a distance of 14 nautical miles. To be more precise, however, the first building was built in 1863, before Batumi’s famous boulevard even existed. The city was at that time making great strides toward developing its maritime status, which involved first reconstructing its port and then renovating Batumi Lighthouse.

That happened in 1882, when French designers made an octagonal building out of stone and placed a small cylindrical tower on top. Records tell us that there used to be single-story buildings located at the sides of the tower, housing the Batumi Meteorological Station. There was also a seasonal emergency point, with ten rowboats. The outbuildings were also where the lighthouse workers would have lived.

Those outbuildings no longer exist, but Batumi Lighthouse is still fulfilling its vital navigational function. This exceptional example of the engineering arts has become a symbol of Batumi, and is a must-see for students of nautical history.