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VILNIUS TECH researchers solve an 80-year-old mystery: determined the location of the old lighthouse of Nida

VILNIUS TECH researchers solve an 80-year-old mystery: determined the location of the old lighthouse of Nida

December 4, 2024

As the Year of Lighthouses marking the 150th anniversary of the lighting of the old Nida lighthouse comes to a close, researchers from Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VILNIUS TECH) presented a special gift to Nida – they determined the exact geodetic coordinates of the old lighthouse, after eight years of searching.

The fragments of the old Nida lighthouse tower, built in 1874 and destroyed in 1944 by retreating German forces, remain on the slopes of Urbo Hill. However, the exact location of the lighthouse had not been found, and other remains of the structure were still missing.

In an effort to solve this 80-year-old mystery and preserve the location of the old Nida lighthouse, VILNIUS TECH alumnus, engineer Tomas Jacionis, organized the "Find the Red Christoper" mission, during which archaeologist Justinas Racas conducted archaeological research. However, since these did not provide precise results, geodetic measurements and calculations were needed.

While it was previously claimed that the new Nida lighthouse was built in the same location as the old one, Professor Dr. Eimuntas Parseliunas, director of the Geodesy Institute at VILNIUS TECH, used geodetic calculations to prove that the new lighthouse stands in a different location, which is where J. Racas' archaeological research was conducted.

Coordinates determined with an accuracy of 1 meter

In German archives, Prof. Dr. E. Parseliunas managed to find a 1874 Seafarers' Guide that first listed the latitude and longitude of the Nida lighthouse. However, the geodetic coordinates from that time were only accurate within 30 meters. To calculate the lighthouse’s location more precisely, assistance was sought from the German Cartography and Geodesy Service.

"Colleagues from Germany shared the geodetic coordinates of buildings in the Klaipeda region from 1927, including those of the Nida, Ventes Ragas, and Klaipeda lighthouses, as well as St. John's Church and Priekule Church towers in Klaipeda. However, the coordinates of the old Nida lighthouse still needed to be determined in the modern Lithuanian coordinate system LKS94," explains Prof. Dr. E. Parseliunas.

Using transformation parameters established in 2001 by the German Cartography and Geodesy Service on top of applying linear conformal coordinate transformation, using only geodetic coordinates from buildings in the Klaipeda region, Prof. Dr. E. Parseliunas was able to determine the geodetic coordinates of the Nida lighthouse with an accuracy of about 1 meter.

According to the VILNIUS TECH professor, these coordinates can now be indicated on maps, and archaeological excavations could lead to the remains of the lighthouse. This also opens up possibilities to gather the surviving fragments of the old lighthouse tower in one place and present them in an exhibition.

Significant discoveries – in German archives

Several other discoveries from the "Find the Red Christoper" mission include a written document and a drawing confirming the ownership of fuel containers found in the Nida lighthouse complex in 2021. A document from 1882 found in the Prussian Secret State Archive in Königsberg reveals that in January 1878, metal containers were delivered to Nida from the "Hansa" machinery factory in Rostock, and on May 16 of that year, they were first filled with oil.

"The main task in Berlin was to find the coordinates of the lighthouse, documents, or maps revealing its location. However, unexpectedly, I came across a drawing of the fuel containers, which had already been analyzed, with a description and dimensions. These four fuel containers are the first and, so far, the only documented engineering equipment of the old Nida lighthouse, which will be exhibited and preserved for future generations. It had previously been believed that the fuel containers were brought from a steamship with the intention to store diesel fuel," says Prof. Dr. E. Parseliunas.

"We are pleased with VILNIUS TECH's contribution to preserving Lithuania's engineering maritime heritage and their active participation in lighting the beacon of memory of the southern pier lighthouse in the Klaipeda port," says Tomas Jacionis, the organizer of the mission and the head of the public institution "Ministry of Light."