Ovisi Lighthouse (Latvian: Ovišu bāka) — a lighthouse located in Tārgale on the Latvian coast of the Baltic Sea. The lighthouse in Tārgale, is the oldest functioning lighthouse in Latvia; the village was once a settlement of plunderers which made false signal-fires to rob seamen on stranded ships and steal their goods. The locality, on historic maps, is known as Lusesort. The name originates from the Swedish word lysa, meaning to burn; ort meaning cape. When the lighthouse was built in the nineteenth century, it was used as a navigational aid, with its walls more than half a metre thick. The lighthouse is 33 metres in height, built as a double-cylindrical structure, with a 3.5 metre high storage building westward of the lighthouse. Currently the base of the lighthouse houses a museum based on the history of Latvia's lighthouses.

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From olden days bonfires have been made here and burning tar barrels have been lifted up. The Oviši lighthouse marks hazardous shoals and abrupt changes in the trend of the coast. According to legend, it was once a settlement of plunderers, who used to make false watch-fires to rob seamen on stranded ships and steal the shipload. The ancient sailing maps call this place Luserort. The word originates from Swedish ‘lysa’, meaning “to burn”, and ‘ort’ which stands for “cape”. The Oviši lighthouse is the Latvia’s oldest functioning lighthouse, which started its operation as far back as 1814. It was not only a navigational aid, but also a coast-guard construction in the 19th century, which is proved by external masonry walls more than half a meter thick. The Oviši lighthouse tower is 37 m tall and is designed as a double cylinder – inside there is a second tower 3.5 m in diameter behind the outer walls of the lighthouse. The interspace has been used for lifting or lowering various equipment and items. The ground floor presents an interesting exhibition on the background of Latvia’s lighthouses.
Andris Cekuls
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