Savudrija lighthouse

The Savudrija lighthouse is located just 9km from Umag, and it can be easily reached by car, bicycle, or boat.

Although it is not totally isolated and inaccessible, the Savudrija lighthouse does, nevertheless, offer its own peace and mystic charm, just as all the lighthouses in the world do. It is ready to talk about the rich history of the Umag-Savudrija area, almost two centuries old…

An interesting and totally authentic fact is that it was the first lighthouse in the world whose light comes from gas that is produced by distilled coal, which came from a coal mine in the Labin area. In the eventuality of a breakdown of the gas instillation, oil could be used to produce light.

The lighthouse was designed by the architect Pietro Nobile on the basis of an order from the Triestine “Deputazione di borsa”, and was sponsored by the Austrian Emperor Franz Josef I. This is mentioned on the inscription at the base of the building. Local stone from the nearby coast was used in the construction of the building, and the lighthouse’s roof is covered in tiles that weigh up to 70 kg and can withstand the strongest bora wind.

The inhabitants of Trieste had an enormous interest in building the lighthouse, so that they could have safe passage when they were sailing into the port of Trieste. The lighthouse can be seen from Opicina, above Trieste, and was an important element in communications – they called the ships that were waiting to sail into the port by flags, which left enough time to carry out the preparations that were needed to moor the ships…