Learn about Inkerman's Eastern range lighthouse over Sevastopol Bay: built in 1821, rebuilt after war, set high above sea, and still guiding ships today.
High above Sevastopol Bay, among cliffs and green hills, stands a small but essential lighthouse. You can barely spot it from the road; there is no neon, no flashy signage. And yet the Eastern range lighthouse in Inkerman has been helping ships enter the bay safely for two centuries.
The lighthouse was built in 1821. At the time, Sevastopol was growing quickly as a seaport, and navigation — the ability for ships to unerringly find the bay entrance — was crucial. The lighthouse came to the sailors’ aid. Not alone: it works in tandem with the Front lighthouse, forming a range, a line captains follow to keep the right course.
Although the tower is modest — about 11 meters — it stands on a high hill. Thanks to that elevation, the light is visible from far away: it sits nearly 196 meters above sea level, which makes it one of the highest-sited in Russia.
The site is linked to more than a few historic episodes. During the Crimean War, when enemy forces approached Sevastopol, the lighthouse was deliberately switched off so the opponent would have no guide. In World War II, the tower was destroyed completely. By 1946 it had been rebuilt and went back to work, once again lighting the way for ships.
Today the Eastern range lighthouse continues its quiet duty. It has not turned into a museum or a tourist draw. It is a working facility, without fanfare. It helps modern vessels much as it helped 19th-century ships.
You cannot go inside, yet its very presence commands respect. The lighthouse has served the city for more than 200 years. It has witnessed war and peace. Despite everything, it keeps shining — steady, dependable, to the point. There is a subtle dignity in that continuity.
The Inkerman lighthouse is not just a tower with a bulb. It is a living fragment of history, still at work today.