Poland Stilo

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In April 2000, a mobile phone equipment was installed beneath the lower gallery to improve communication in the area. A crane was used to hoist and install three directional antennas beneath the lower gallery. At the same time the crane was extended above the top of the roof of the lantern room to facilitate inspection of its condition.

By Apoloniusz Lysejko

The Stilo Lighthouse was made accessible to the public in 1992 and can be visited in the summer months. Accompanied by a member of the lighthouse staff, a visitor can climb the 128-step steel ladder to the top of the tower.

Walk the grounds of the lighthouse today and you will often come across with the lighthouse keepers, both male and female. A particular attraction is meeting with female lighthouse keeper Weronika Lozicka, who is one of the few women lighthouse keepers in Poland. She is married to Romuald Lozicki, also a lighthouse keeper.

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Lighthouse Digest

Lighthouse keeper Romuald Lozicki

July 2006

Although Poland is a large nation in Central Europe and America has a gigantic population of Polish descendants, it can be safe to assume that very few Americans have ever visited Poland’s historic lighthouses. However, since 1980 contacts between America and Poland have intensified. Poland and the USA have become partners, not only in the fields of politics and economics, but also in culture. Despite the geographical distance, exchange visits and the numerous exhibitions and performance of artists of all kinds are proof of that which testifies to the mutual interest in each other’s countries. Poland has over twenty surviving lighthouses, of which, fifteen are still active. Most of them, as examples of Poland’s maritime heritage, are accessible to tourists, and indeed in the summer months, visitors flock to see them. Aesthetically pleasing, most of Poland’s lighthouses are built of brick or stone with only two of them constructed with metal. With the upcoming Centennial Celebration of Poland’s Stilo Lighthouse, it is hoped that Poland could attract some new tourists to view their lighthouses and historic nation. Construction of the Stilo Lighthouse in the tiny seaside hamlet of Stilo in Choczewo (Chottschow) began in 1904 under the direction of the famous Prussian civil engineer Walter Koerte and was completed in 1906. The main centennial celebration will take place under the joint patronage of the Polish Maritime Museum, the Society of Friends of the Polish Maritime Museum, and the commune of Choczewo on July 29, 2006. On this occasion, a special brochure will be published and the Polish Post Office will be issuing a special set of four postage stamps depicting Polish lighthouses.

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The Stilo Lighthouse and other buildings at the exact site where they first appeared in 1915.

4 Visitors enjoying the Stilo Lighthouse in 1918.

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A vintage postcard associated with the Stilo Lighthouse by the Royal Berlin Technical Museum Exhibition Hall in 1919. It shows a hall in the museum with a display of model steam locomotive boilers and on a raised platform, a disc lens, cylindrical lenses and on the wall, photographs of lighthouses.

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The first Polish native lighthouse keeper to serve at Stilo Lighthouse was Wojciech Jagusiak a corporal in the Polish Border Guard who served from 1945 to 1948.

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The Stilo Lighthouse was in operation throughout World War II and came through the hostilities practically unscathed. However, it did sustain some damage right at the end of the war when an unidentified aircraft fired a few rounds at it, smashing some of the lantern panes. But the damage was not enough to put the lighthouse out of action for long. Following repairs, it came back into service in April, 1946 and has been active without interruption ever since.

SPECIAL WEB SITE POSTING FOR FULL STORY The author has submitted a more in-depth story to us about the Stilo Lighthouse, which includes a detailed explanation of how the political situation in Europe complicated the building of lighthouses. That story along with many additional photographs and images can be found on our web site at www.LighthouseDigest.com. To Order First Day Covers If any of our readers are interested in ordering mint, stamped, First Day of Issue covers of the Polish Lighthouse Stamps you can contact the author Apoloniusz Lysejko via email at [email protected].

Lighthouse Digest

July 2006

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