The incredible lighthouse of Thridrangar: a place not suitable for people with vertigo or claustrophobia

@ElentirENG ES 11·04·2022 · 16:32 0

I am very fond of maritime lighthouses, and have seen images of many, but few are as amazing as a lighthouse in the south of Iceland.

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The lighthouse in question is located on Þrídrangar or Thridrangar, a group of three islets located a few miles from the Vestmannaeyjar Islands (also known as the Westman Islands). This is the amazing lighthouse:

As you can see, it's not a big deal. In fact,it seems to have been built to obtain a record for the smallest and most claustrophobic lighthouse in the world: it is only 4 meters high. In fact, it looks like a toy lighthouse. But the most surprising thing about this lighthouse is not its size, but its location on a cliff 34 meters above sea level:

The most incredible thing is that, according to History Daily, the lighthouse was built in 1939 without the help of any helicopter: "The first thing we had to to was create a road up to the cliff. We got together of experienced mountaineers, all from the Westman Islands. Then we brought drills, hammers, chains and clamps to secure the chains", a witness to its construction recounted. "Once they got near the top there was no way to get any grip on the rock so one of them got down on his knees, the second stood on his back, and then the third climbed on top of the other two and was able to reach the nib of the cliff above. I cannot even tell you how I was feeling whilst witnessing this incredibly dangerous procedure."

Currently the lighthouse, whose code is L4802, is still active and is accessible by helicopter thanks to a tiny heliport built on the cliff. To tell the truth, it is the only way to access the lighthouse if you do not want to make a dangerous climb. Between the helipad and the lighthouse there is a dangerous little road without any fences. Any stumble can mean you fall off the cliff. The beacon projects a long white flash followed by a short white flash every 30 seconds.

Here you can see a video of the Icelandic pilot Gísli Gíslason flying his Eurocopter AS350 Ecureuil helicopter to that lighthouse. The video is not suitable for people who suffer from vertigo:

But for the daring, the members of the Icelandic rock band Kaleo, who recorded this music video at the lighthouse heliport:

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Photos: My Best Place / History Daily / MigSelv / Voilier Evidence.