Lighthouse of Elafonisi

The lighthouse of Elafonisi is located on the edge of the famous peninsula with the lovely beach, in the southwesternmost point of Crete. The current metal creation was placed at this location after the war, as the old stone made lighthouse of Elafonisi was bombed by German planes and collapsed.

The lighthouse of Elafonisi was built in 1920. The decision to operate was officially taken after a tragic shipwreck, in February 1907, when the ocean liner ship Imperatrix with 182 people (crew and passengers) hit a reef. The shipwreck left behind 38 dead people who were buried in the “island”.

The stone made lighthouse of Elafonisi was tall, with 144 steps inside. Around it there were built auxilliary buildings – residences, a tank and a bakery for the lighthouse keepers. Once a year, in summer, the Orion ship used to carry oil to the lighthouse of Elafonisi. In 1924, a Russian Admiral named Nicholas Nikolayevich Filosofof was placed as a lighthouse keeper. In 1907, he was the commander of the Russian ship Kiviniets that contributed decisively in the rescue of the castaways of the horrible shipwreck.