For those who want a more demanding tour in open water, we recommend a trip to Svenner lighthouse. Depending on weather and conditions, it takes about 60 minutes to get out to Svenner. There is a landing with refreshments while we tell you a little about the history of Svenner lighthouse.
Svenner lighthouse station was protected in 1997 and is today a cultural monument of national value. Thin soil and a very harsh climate give Svenner a distinctive botanical diversity. Svenner is important for migrating small birds in spring. Large numbers of eider ducks, several colonies of herring gulls and common gulls, great black-backed gulls and lesser gulls nest on Svenner in May and June. We urge all visitors to respect the vegetation and birdlife. Leave the flowers alone and avoid walking in the scrub and on the rocks from May until mid-July.
The first lighthouse opened on 22 October 1874. The lantern itself came from Lista. At the same time a residence was built for the lighthouse keeper and his assistant’s family, the Steihuset. It was built by convicts from Akershus Fortress and with stone from Østfold. The same men had built Torbjørnskjær lighthouse a few years earlier. Today’s lighthouse was built in cast iron in 1900. It stands on Korpeodden in the Svenner island group off Larvik. The tower is 18.7 metres high and the top is 40.3 metres above sea level. The range is 17.8 nautical miles. Unfortunately the tower itself is closed to the public. The lighthouse with all its buildings was protected in 1997, and was de-manned and automated in 2002. The lantern was lit with oil from the start. In 1961 a diesel generator was installed in its own engine house outside the tower, and the bulb became electric. Today’s bulb is the size of a car headlight bulb, but thanks to the prisms the light carries more than 17 nautical miles.
Golden, sun-warmed rocks, a fishing rod in your hand and a blue horizon ahead. That is how a summer day at the lighthouse can feel. Children lying on their stomachs pulling up small crabs or catching wrasse with a fishing rod. Barbecue food, swimming and long summer nights. Gull cries and laughter, the sound of carpentry and lapping waves. The beautiful stone house at Svenner lighthouse is today open to everyone who wants a special night on the headland in the open sea. There are 19 beds in rooms for 4, 5 and 6 people. The hosts at the lighthouse welcome you to a unique experience throughout the school holidays.