Lighthouse Tolbukhin (Tolbukhin lighthouse) - (60°02′32″ s. sh. 029°32′31″ E d. /  60.0423889° N. sh. 29.5420389° E d. / 60.0423889; 29.5420389(I), is set on an artificial rocky island, lying 2.8 miles to WNW from the western tip of Kotlin Island, one of the oldest Russian lighthouses, built by order of Peter I.

Story

: Invalid or missing image

Built on the personal instructions of Peter I, on November 13, 1718, in a letter to Vice Admiral Cornelius Kruys, the tsar wrote: “... make a stone kolm with a lantern on the Kotlinskaya spit.”

The construction of the first, wooden structure was completed on August 7, 1719, under the leadership of the captain of the 1st rank Edward Lane (Eng. Edward Lane, 16??-1729) .

The original name of the lighthouse is "Kotlinsky". In 1736 it was renamed Tolbukhin, in honor of Colonel Fedot Semyonovich Tolbukhin, head of the Kronshlot garrison, the first commandant of Kronstadt, who distinguished himself in the defense of Kotlin during the Northern War.

Notable Facts

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Literature

• Bestuzhev N. A.
• Komaritsin A. A., Koryakin V. I., Romanov V. G. Lighthouses of the Gulf of Finland and east coast Baltic Sea// . - St. Petersburg: GUNIO MO RF, 2001. - S. 284. - 518 p. - 500 copies.
• Koryakin V. I., Romanov V. G., Sysoev Yu. P. Lighthouses of the Baltic Sea // . - St. Petersburg. : TsKP VMF, 2006. - 193 p. - 500 copies.

Notes

1. Nikolaeva Tamara(Russian) // ARDIS: Architecture. Restoration. Design. Investments. Construction”: magazine. - St. Petersburg: Ardis Publishing House LLC, 2007. - No. 4 (36).
2. (Russian). Site about light beacons of the world. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
3. Neva Bay and Kotlin Island // . - St. Petersburg. : , 2009. - 236 p.
4. . - St. Petersburg. : Department of Navigation and Oceanography of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, 2007. - S. 48. - 656 p.
5. // = Russian biographical dictionary / ed. N. D. Chechulin and M. G. Kurdyumov. - St. Petersburg. : Imperial Russian Historical Society, 1914. - T. X "Labzina - Lyashenko". - S. 174. - 846 p.
6. // / Edited by G. A. Leer. - St. Petersburg. : Type. V. Bezobrazova and Comp., 1895. - T. VII “Russian-Turkish war of 1828-29. - Struggling. - S. 497. - 641 p.
7. Aksentiev Sergey(Russian) // "North": journal. - Petrozavodsk: Sever Publishing House, 2006. - No. 11-12. - S. 16.
8. (Russian). From the history of Kronstadt. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
9. Dygalo V. A.// . - M .: OOO " Publishing House"Veche", 2007. - 408 p. - (Classic story). - 3000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-9533-1735-1.
10. Manko A.(Russian) // " Navy": magazine. - M .: ANO Edition of the journal "Marine Fleet", 1997. - No. 6.
11. Bestuzhev N. A.// / Comp., intro. article p note Ya. L. Levkovich .. - M .: Soviet Russia, 1983. - 336 p. - 300,000 copies.

Links

• (Russian). Lighthouse. Virtual Museum lighthouses of the world. Retrieved March 19, 2014.

An excerpt characterizing the Tolbukhin Lighthouse

Kutuzov, accompanied by his adjutants, rode at a pace behind the carabinieri.
Having traveled half a verst at the tail of the column, he stopped at a lonely abandoned house (probably a former tavern) near the fork of two roads. Both roads descended downhill, and troops marched along both.
The fog began to disperse, and indefinitely, at a distance of two versts, enemy troops could already be seen on opposite hills. To the left below the shooting became more audible. Kutuzov stopped talking to the Austrian general. Prince Andrei, standing somewhat behind, peered at them and, wanting to ask the adjutant for a telescope, turned to him.
“Look, look,” this adjutant said, looking not at the distant army, but down the mountain in front of him. - They're French!
Two generals and adjutants began to grab the pipe, pulling it out one from the other. All the faces suddenly changed, and horror was expressed on everyone. The French were supposed to be two miles away from us, but they appeared suddenly, unexpectedly in front of us.
- Is this an enemy? ... No! ... Yes, look, he ... probably ... What is this? voices were heard.
Prince Andrey with a simple eye saw a dense column of French rising to the right towards the Apsheronians, no further than five hundred paces from the place where Kutuzov was standing.
“Here it is, the decisive moment has come! It came to me, ”thought Prince Andrei, and hitting his horse, drove up to Kutuzov. “We must stop the Apsheronians,” he shouted, “your excellency!” But at the same moment, everything was covered in smoke, close-range shooting was heard, and a naively frightened voice, two steps away from Prince Andrei, shouted: “Well, brothers, the Sabbath!” And as if this voice was a command. At this voice, everything rushed to run.
Mixed, ever-increasing crowds fled back to the place where five minutes ago the troops passed by the emperors. It was not only difficult to stop this crowd, but it was impossible not to move back together with the crowd.
Bolkonsky only tried to keep up with her and looked around, perplexed and unable to understand what was happening in front of him. Nesvitsky, with an angry look, red and not like himself, shouted to Kutuzov that if he did not leave now, he would probably be taken prisoner. Kutuzov stood in the same place and, without answering, took out his handkerchief. Blood was flowing from his cheek. Prince Andrei pushed his way up to him.
- Are you injured? he asked, barely able to control the trembling of his lower jaw.
- The wounds are not here, but where! - said Kutuzov, pressing a handkerchief to his wounded cheek and pointing to the fugitives. - Stop them! he shouted, and at the same time, probably convinced that it was impossible to stop them, he hit his horse and rode to the right.
The crowd of fugitives, again surging, took him with them and dragged him back.
The troops fled in such a dense crowd that, once they got into the middle of the crowd, it was difficult to get out of it. Who shouted: “Go! what's the delay?" Who immediately, turning around, fired into the air; who beat the horse on which Kutuzov himself rode. With the greatest effort, getting out of the stream of the crowd to the left, Kutuzov with a retinue, reduced by more than half, went to the sounds of nearby gun shots. Getting out of the crowd of fleeing, Prince Andrei, trying to keep up with Kutuzov, saw on the slope of the mountain, in the smoke, a Russian battery still firing and the French running up to it. The Russian infantry stood higher, moving neither forward to help the battery, nor backward in the same direction as the fugitives. The general on horseback separated from this infantry and rode up to Kutuzov. Only four people remained from Kutuzov's retinue. Everyone was pale and looked at each other silently.

On the other side of the world. Lighthouse "Tolbukhin"

In 2019 Tolbukhin will celebrate its 300th anniversary. On the eve of the anniversary, the PETERSBURG INSTITUTE visited the lighthouse and talked to the lighthouse workers about their work.

At last chemistry and mechanics united for the benefit of mankind; the forces of nature rose up against her and the lighthouses, despite the storms and rains, armed with amazing Argant lamps, placed in cunning parabolas, stretched out an unchanging, bright, distinctive beam to meet the ships for an incredible distance, and sailors, reassured by their safety, just as boldly sail at night, accompanied by the light of beacons, as well as during the day with all the splendor and majesty of the sun.

Tolbukhin is one of the oldest operating lighthouses in the Baltic Sea and the oldest in Russia. He is listed world heritage UNESCO (number 540-003a5). Installed on a small artificial island at the tip of the Kotlin Spit, branching off to the northwest of Kotlin Island.

“How small is the island on which the tower is placed! She doesn't seem to have a reason! The waves are crashing; - splash; - they run up the slope to the very tower and roll back with a roar.
N. A. Bestuzhev "Tolbukhinsky Lighthouse"

Like the other first lighthouses in the country, it was built on the personal instructions of Peter I. In one of the notes to Vice Admiral Cornelius Kruys on November 13, 1718, the tsar wrote: “Make a stone kolm [lighthouse] with a lantern on the Kotlinskaya spit.”

Document from the video "Mayak Tolbukhin"

Fulfilling this instruction, K. Kruys on December 2 gave a written order to Captain Edward Lane. Attached to the letter was a sketch of the lighthouse tower, drawn up by Peter I himself. The sketch gave the main dimensions of the lighthouse tower, and in the lower part, an inscription was made by the emperor’s hand: “the rest is left to the will of the architect.”

However, the construction of a stone lighthouse required significant material costs and, above all, a large number of qualified masons. The Kronstadt port, which was entrusted with the construction of the lighthouse, did not have them. Therefore, with the consent of Peter I, it was decided to build a temporary wooden lighthouse and at the same time start preparing materials for a stone tower. And on August 7, 1719, the lighthouse, called "Kotlinsky", began to "service".

The Kotlinsky lighthouse was the first in Russia, the fire of which was constantly lit at a certain time. A lantern was installed on the tower, in which at first candles were used. But this did not satisfy the navigators, since the visibility of such light was negligible. In 1723, the lighthouse switched to lighting with hemp oil, which was burned in lamps. However, this measure had very little effect on the visibility range. Therefore (following the example of the Gotland lighthouse), it was decided to switch to lighting with wood and coal.

On April 12, 1736, the Admiralty Board decided to start the construction of a stone lighthouse, which was entrusted to the Chief Admiralty Architect Ivan Korobov. I. Korobov, having visited the Kotlinskaya spit, determined the priority work and proposed first to build a new wooden lighthouse, gradually preparing for the construction of a stone one. In 1737, the second wooden lighthouse was built and named in honor of Fyodor Semyonovich Tolbukhin, the first commandant of Kronstadt, who commanded the regiment that defeated the Swedish landing force that landed on the Kotlin Spit in 1705 [according to other sources, the renaming happened a year earlier].

The Admiralty Board did not abandon attempts to build a stone lighthouse. Construction was associated with enormous difficulties: materials were brought by boat, and builders often had to work waist-deep in icy water. However, the importance of this lighthouse was so great that work continued. By 1739, only the foundation had been laid, while the main building was still wooden.

In 1744, the lighthouse burned down along with the service premises, the guard house, the pier and the entire supply of firewood and coal. The fire caused several more resolutions of the Admiralty Board on the need to build stone structure. But only in 1807, with the introduction of the post of director of lighthouses in the Admiralty Department, which was taken by the active captain of the 2nd rank L.V. Spafaryev, things got off the ground. Leonty Vasilyevich developed a project and estimate for the construction of lighthouses in the Gulf of Finland and Riga. The documents were sent for conclusion to the Chief Admiralty Architect A. D. Zakharov, who made many changes both to the design of the lighthouse and to the estimate for its construction. Finally, in 1809, the construction of the stone Tolbukhinsky lighthouse began.

By September 1810 were erected Round Tower brick, granite plinth, guardhouse and sauna. A metal 12-sided lantern was installed in the upper part of the tower, which was illuminated by 40 oil lamps. The lantern had 24 platinum-plated silver reflectors, which significantly increased the range of the beacon. On September 22, 1810, the stone building was put into operation.

Soon, an argant (kinket) lamp was installed on the lighthouse, parabolic reverbers (concave mirrors polished with silver), in the focus of which the lamp itself was placed, which made it possible to reflect the rays in parallel at a long distance.

In 1819 (according to other sources - June 15, 1820), a young lieutenant N.A. Bestuzhev was appointed assistant director of the Baltic lighthouses. He remained in this position until 1824. In 1821, the future Decembrist installed a beacon apparatus on Tolbukhin, which gave a color-changing fire. In memory of his stay on the lighthouse island, Bestuzhev wrote the story "Tolbukhinsky Lighthouse". This essay is his only work describing the islands and lighthouses of the Gulf of Finland. In a letter from exile in Selenginsk to his friend, the founder of Russian hydrography, Admiral M.F. Reinecke on May 8, 1852, Nikolai Alexandrovich said: "Thank you for the information about the marine islands of the Gulf of Finland. - I know and love some, which is why I was interested to know if anything would be written and printed about them by you. In general, these islands terra incognita(unknown land) for everyone, even sailors. “And I, if I had not served as assistant director of lighthouses, I would not have seen one. Spafaryev promised incessantly, but he could not keep his word, give me time and a way to go around and describe in a decent way our lighthouses and islands "...

N. A. Bestuzhev

Here is how N. A. Bestuzhev describes the lighthouse of that time: "I am ascending high tower(100 feet stone tower), ninety-five steps are erected to a spacious lantern. Six steps of diameter and six steps of height form its space. In the middle, an iron post is approved, circulating with two circles, carrying twenty-four lamps, in steel, but approved reverbs. Frequent glasses surround this lantern and let in the saving light of the lamps, enlarged by concave parabolic mirrors (There are 22 such lighthouses in the Gulf of Finland and Riga, and all of them depend on the Russian government.). I go out to the surrounding platform, on which the watchman watches during the night with an eagle eye to give help to the unfortunate swimmer, if fate or negligence leads him to pitfalls, the beacon around.

After the telegraph was installed at the lighthouse, it was decided to build a second floor above the guardhouse. In 1833, the second floor was built on and at the same time a gallery was built that connected the house with the tower. The latest innovation has significantly improved the conditions for servicing the lighthouse, especially in stormy weather, when water almost completely flooded the island.

The technical equipment continued to be replenished: in 1867 a diopter apparatus was purchased. In 1900-1905. a fog bell and a telephone appeared. In 1957 Tolbukhin was equipped with a radar beacon and the first automatic wind power plant in the USSR.

In 1960-70s. a pier was built, and the island itself was reinforced with concrete slabs.

The lighthouse has seen a lot in its long history. I saw ships going around the world. He saw the first regatta in Russia on July 8, 1847. He also saw the "death barges" from which officers-hostages were drowned in 1918 and Kronstadt rebels in 1921. It turned into an observation post during the years of the Crimean War, survived raids and shelling during the Great Patriotic war...

The waters of the Gulf of Finland are fraught with many dangers. Vast shallows, strong currents, changeable winds - all this more than once became the cause of shipwrecks. And beacons were placed exactly where disasters occurred most often to warn of danger, show the way, and save from death. And even now, in the age of high technology, the sea remains a formidable wayward element, annually claiming human lives.

Therefore, at present, the value of the veteran lighthouse is increasing. It again becomes an important navigational landmark when sailing on the approach to the sea channel and the main navigation facility of the protective dam. Despite the development of technology, visual observation remains the most important means of orientation. Instruments can fail, and the beacon light is visible 19 miles away. On its beam begins the Great Kronstadt raid, leading to the ports of Kronstadt and St. Petersburg.

Schematic from the movie "Lighthouses of the Leningrad Region" RTG PRODUCTION STUDIO

People of non-marine professions are showing more and more interest in lighthouses, since they see in them not only engineering structures, but also architectural and historical monuments. And for the sailors, the tower, crowned with a signal fire, was and remains a symbol of hope, a sea shrine.

Lighthouse - what could be more romantic? Poems and prose are dedicated to lighthouses, films are made about them and paintings are painted. How romantic is life at the lighthouse in real life, we went to discuss with the caretakers.

First of all, it should be noted that Tolbukhin is a closed military strategic object. Its visit without special permission is strictly prohibited. The territory is guarded by dogs. And if Fram looks good-natured (how could a dog named after Max Fry look differently?),

then it’s scary to approach the purebred German Borya (full name difficult to reproduce), even when he is securely locked in a cage.

IN last years on "Tolbukhin" the heads of the lighthouse were:

from November 1990 to September 2010 - Alexander Olegovich Kozlov,
from October 1, 2010 to March 2014 - Alexander Ivanovich Duplishchev.

From 2014 to the present, three people have been living and working on Tolbukhin: the head of the lighthouse, Nikolai Vasilyevich Silantyev, and two technicians: Lyudmila Silantyeva (wife) and Konstantin Matveev (Lyudmila's son). One more technician has been assigned to the staff, but not everyone is given the difficulties of being in office. For example, Roman was able to hold out for eight months, and before him Valery - only three.

One of their duties is to keep a logbook, where all events, even minor ones, are recorded. The arrival of a new person on the island is also noted in the journal.

Film photo "Lighthouses of the Leningrad Region" RTG PRODUCTION STUDIO

Accompanied by Konstantin, we pass into the tower through the same gallery built in 1833.

First of all, the staircase attracts attention - it is not a spiral stone or iron one, as in many lighthouses, but a wooden one.

Also striking is the thickness of the walls.

In 1898, the first successful tests of radio communication took place in Kronstadt. But it took a long time before radio transmitters appeared on all ships and allowed them to navigate in any weather. And before the invention of radio, it was possible to find a lighthouse in the fog by the sound of its bell. On "Tolbukhin" it was preserved as part of history.

Near flaunt solar panels waiting to be connected.

The old lens has long been removed. Parts of it lie on the balcony.

Instead, LED lamps are installed.

Lighthouses must keep the glass clean so that the light is clearly visible.

After admiring the surroundings, we go down to the engine room.

Then we look at the yard.

Here, the fact that the lighthouse needs increased attention is especially striking: the plaster is peeling off the walls, the pier is falling apart. The caretakers fear that the Larsen sheet pile will soon rot, and then the mooring slabs will “creep”. In the first year of operation, the lighthouse workers brought 30 carts of stones to strengthen it. But the five bags of cement brought in were only enough for two slabs ... For example, north side is already up in the air. If it collapses, there will be no ice barrier. However, even this winter, ice has spread all over the yard (by the way, when the shutters are lowered at the complex of protective structures of St. Petersburg from floods, then at Tolbukhin the yard is flooded with water).

Photo by Yuri Tomin

Another problem is a rickety chimney that needs to be dismantled. To do this, you need to bring at least fifty bricks. Bricks, plywood will also come in handy in case the window is knocked out. After all, during storms, when the wind speed reaches 27 meters, sometimes huge bars fly around ...

Photo by Yuri Tomin

We continue around the island. We see a small farm. The fact is that the lighthouses receive rations twice a year (for 8 and 4 months). At first, in addition to the main products (potatoes, stews), they were given vitamins, peas, corn, salads, squash caviar. Now this is not there, so something is bought in addition, something is grown. In addition, the caretakers kept livestock, but this year they refused.

We look into the well. By the way, N. A. Bestuzhev also mentioned him, noting that one of the ministers “splashed salt water that flooded the well" after the storm.

Lighthouses kindly allow you to inspect the living quarters.

Some of the furniture, by the way, they made themselves. But in last time, according to them, they brought boards that fall apart into three parts. And good boards are very necessary, because. the floors were eaten by a bug. It is urgent to change so that it does not reach the tower ...

The view from the windows is breathtaking! I would love to read a book in this chair by the window!

However, there is no time to sit around! You also need to bake bread (after all, there is no store nearby),

and spread caviar from a fish caught with your own hand on it))

But seriously, there are enough things to do: calling the duty officer in the morning and evening with a report, daily refueling of diesel engines, changing the oil in a diesel engine every ten days, replacing filters and belts, checking engines ... At night, navigational aids are monitored: Shepelevsky lighthouse and Krasnaya Gorka. If any of them goes out, information about the incident is logged and reported to the duty officer. The same actions are supposed to be performed in the event of a serious breakdown at Tolbukhin. Well, round-the-clock dispersal of tourists (in winter - up to 50 people a day) from the object, who begin to chip off something for themselves as a keepsake ...

We sat for a long time over tea and discussed the peculiarities of the profession and life at the lighthouse.

Always interested in wages. The head of the lighthouse has the highest - 13000 rubles. (including remoteness, sea and length of service). Technicians - 8500r.

Accommodation at the lighthouse is free. But the Silantyevs have an apartment in St. Petersburg. And before there were benefits in paying utility bills, but now they have been canceled.

The most a difficult situation with medicines. It turns out a vicious circle. After all, in order, for example, to get ampicillin, you need a prescription. You have to be sick to get a prescription. And if you get sick at the lighthouse ... Where to go for a recipe on an island in the middle of the bay? In addition, the yawl, which should be in the state, was broken up 8-10 years ago ... Therefore, the Silantievs spent almost the entire annual salary on a rubber boat and a motor.

A particularly difficult time is from November to about mid-January, until the ice rises. After all, nothing can approach the island during storms by water, and there is no helipad. And, by and large, there is no connection either: the old radio station does not work.

What if there's a fire? Tolbukhin has old fire extinguishers and five new ones. But for the winter they load 30 tons of fuel, and five fire extinguishers will not help much here. Yes, and gas masks rotted ...

What makes people keep working at the lighthouse? Life style. There is no turmoil, traffic jams, office squabbles ... And what amazing sunsets and sunrises here ...

"Farewell, strangers of the world! Your life is serene: in the midst of storms you enjoy perfect calmness, your days are devoted to doing good and innocent joys; Farewell! I'm leaving for where storms rage against a clear sky, where, with all the tensions towards bliss, we are unhappy; Farewell, strangers of the world!
N. A. Bestuzhev "Tolbukhinsky Lighthouse"

Photo by Yuri Tomin

The life of a lighthouse keeper is somewhat similar to the life of a hermit or a monk. By the way, in the film "Lighthouses of the Leningrad Region" it is stated that in Imperial Russia all lighthouses were consecrated, and Orthodox crosses were installed above the lanterns. They were placed in a special way, because. crosses also served as a navigational landmark. This tradition is gone. But in the image of a lighthouse that protects the lives of sailors with its light, there really is something sacred ...

We hope that on the eve of a significant date, the honored veteran of the lighthouse service will heal all his wounds and appear in all his splendor and splendor during the anniversary celebrations.