What is the oldest active lighthouse in Croatia?

Legend has it that Count Metternich built this lighthouse as a sign of love for a beautiful Croatian noblewoman he met at a Viennese ball.

However, she died during construction, and the count, overwhelmed by grief, never visited him again. Even though the Count is no longer alive today, his lighthouse still stands proudly in the same place.

Savudrija Lighthouse, Photo: Mihael Grmek, CC BY-SA 4.0

It is the Savudrija lighthouse, otherwise the oldest active lighthouse in Croatia, which is located on the westernmost cape of Croatia and is 36 meters high.

The project was made by the architect Pietro Nobile, under the patronage of the Austrian Emperor Francis I, who was personally present at its opening.

Sometimes locals and visitors wanted to climb to the top of the lighthouse by force. That’s why the lighthouse keepers had a license to carry weapons and shoot in case of need.

Construction began in March 1817. Local stone quarried on the nearby coast and processed on-site was used. On the night of April 17, 1818, after a little more than a year since the beginning of construction, the lighthouse was already in operation!

Savudrija Lighthouse, Photo: Coloursofistria.com

​The Savudrija lighthouse was the first lighthouse in the world that used gas obtained from the distillation of coal for lighting. The raw material came from hard coal mines on the east coast of Istria, more precisely at Labinšćina.

In case of failure of the gas installation, oil could also be used for lighting.

Lighthouse Savudrija, Photo: Author Dguendel, CC BY 3.0

The Savudrija lighthouse remains a safety point for ships sailing along the coast of Istria. Its imposing presence, together with the legends that surround it, make it not only a landmark at sea but also a place that radiates mystical beauty.