There are many places along the coastlines that are not particularly suitable for building a lighthouse. And then there are those that are so remote and inaccessible that the idea would never even occur to anyone. Not even on second or third glance. The three rocky outcrops of Þrídrangar – or Thridrangar – in the wild North Atlantic off Iceland’s south coast were long among them.
Yet for the builders of navigational aids, the impossible and the seemingly unattainable have always been a source of inspiration, not a reason to give up. They could only dream of the technical aids available today. In some respects, they are similar to mountaineers, even in practical terms – when building the Þrídrangaviti lighthouse, a fear of heights was certainly not an option.
- Name: Þrídrangaviti (Thridrangar Lighthouse), Iceland
- Location: North Atlantic
- Coordinates: 63°29′19.8″N 020°30′47.4″W
- Tower height: 4 m
- Flame height: 34 m
- Identifier: Mo(N) W 30s (letter “N” of the Morse code; long-short)
The highest of the three rocks
The Thrindangar rise almost vertically from the sea, around seven nautical miles south of the Icelandic coast. Just under six nautical miles to the west lie the Vestmannaeyjar Islands. It was there that, in 1938, the engineer Árni Þórarinsson recruited the men to build his lighthouse on the highest of the three rocks, standing at 36 metres.
Here you will find even more special lighthouses.
Experts at stealing birds’ eggs
The “Westmänner” had perfected their rock-climbing techniques over generations whilst collecting birds’ eggs on the steep cliffs of their home islands. Over a period of months, they carved a winding route into the rock by hand, often in the face of surging spray. This path ultimately made it possible to haul the necessary building materials to the top. A year later, the lighthouse – barely four metres high, including the lantern – was completed; yet its modest size was, and remains, in no way commensurate with the achievements of its builders.
Depending on the nature
Even today, Þrídrangaviti is considered perhaps the most inaccessible lighthouse in the world. Even though scaling the summit is no longer the only way to reach it: since the 1950s, there has been a helipad – a means of transport that was not available at the time of its construction. The light, with its unusual code consisting of the Morse letter N – one long and one short flash – had already been automated to flash twice a minute.
A live concert in isolation
However, even by helicopter, it is only possible to fly in and drop off people in perfect weather conditions. Nature still dictates when the rock is accessible. Coastguard technicians are the only visitors – with very few exceptions: in 2020, the first difficult year of the coronavirus pandemic, the Icelandic rock band Kaleo were flown in – for a Live concert at Þrídrangaviti: They played their song ‘Break My Baby’. Isolation as an antidote to isolation.
Here you will find even more special lighthouses.
Christian Tiedt
Editor Travel
