In the summer of 2018, the long-expected dream of residents of the Estonian Saaremaa Island and travelers came true: Sorve, one of the oldest local lighthouses, welcomed its first visitors! The event took place in the year of the centenary of Estonia. It became a real gift for many citizens and guests of the country.

Sorve has a unique history dating back several hundred years.

The predecessor of the current structure was a wooden lighthouse built on the local merchant Ebert Dellingshausen’s money in 1646. It illuminated the sailors' way in the Irbe Strait, which connects the Gulf of Riga and the Baltic Sea and is the water boundary between Estonia and Latvia. The height of the lighthouse reached 34.7 meters above sea level.

Unfortunately, the choice of the location for the off-shore facility was disastrous as part of the structure was always at risk of flooding. So the lighthouse was dismantled and moved to a safer place, where it still stands today.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the wooden tower was demolished and replaced with a more reliable and durable stone structure. The lighthouse became 35 meters tall, and after half a century, it gained another 1.5 meters. In or around the same time, wooden houses were built nearby for the lighthouse staff and personnel.

The first half of the 20th century was spoiled by several bitter events in the life of the iconic coastal building. Thus, in 1918, the lighthouse suffered from hostilities during the formation of the First Republic of Estonia and its following independence. It was soon restored, but already during World War II, it received even more severe damage.

In 1960, the 150-year-old stone tower was replaced by a new reinforced concrete structure. As a result of the reconstruction, the lighthouse grew by a few more meters and reached a height of 48 meters above sea level.

Today everyone has a chance to get to know Sorve better and discover its premises. For example, in one of the rooms where the lighthouse staff once lived, you can see an interesting model depicting all the primary lighthouses along the Estonian coast.