Search for foundations of old Nida lighthouse underway in Lithuania

VILNIUS – The search for the foundations of the old Nida lighthouse has begun in Neringa, with a brooch dating from the 1st to 4th century, an artifact unusual for the Curonian Spit, found on the first day.  

The Curonian Spit municipality of Neringa said on Tuesday that the search for the foundations of the original Nida lighthouse, also known as the Red Christopher, on Urbas Hill started on Monday and will continue for the next few days. 

The archaeologists say the brooch is an unusual find for the Curonian Spit and is more typical of mainland Lithuania. 

"The brooch was found in a mixed layer and has lost its initial archaeological value, but the find is unexpected," archaeologist Justinas Racas was quoted as saying in the press release.

The archeologists also found well-preserved parts of the old lighthouse's Fresnel lens system, made of bronze, along with numerous shards of Fresnel lenses and other fragments of the lighthouse. 

The results of the archaeological search will be presented during events on Friday and Saturday, according to the municipality.

The archaeological excavations are being carried out to mark the 150th anniversary of the old lighthouse. It is believed that its foundations, which were dug down to a depth of 10 meters, might be still be intact.

The search is based on data from surveys carried out in 2017. 

A 1,200-square-meter area was then surveyed with ground-penetrating radar, revealing a rectangular anomaly next to the existing lighthouse in the eastern part of the surveyed area.

The data were compared with historical maps from 1910 and 1946.

According to the municipality, the only way to verify the radar survey results is through actual archaeological excavation to uncover fragments of the foundations.

The old Nida lighthouse was built on Urbas Hill in 1873 by order of the King of Prussia.

The octagonal red-brick lighthouse stood 23 meters tall and operated until the end of World War II, when it was blown up by retreating German troops.

After the war, a temporary wooden tower with a lantern was erected at the site. The current 29-meter-high (almost 80 meters above sea level) Nida lighthouse was lit in 1953, following a couple of years of preparation and construction.