The lighthouse of Plaka

The northeastern edge of Limnos, 4.4km away from the village of Plaka, hosts the 2nd most central lighthouse in Greece from the north to the south.

The white 25-meter-high circle tower was constructed in 1908 by French people in a highly strategic position, because north of it lies Samothrace (22 nautical miles), opposite and east of it lies Imbros (11 nautical miles), the Dardanelles strait is located a little southernmost and at 34 nautical miles Tenedos can be found. It was handed over to Greeks in 1912, after the island was liberated, and joined the Greek lighthouse network in 1913.

The lighthouse beacon was originally operated with light oil and was manned by 7 people who were making sure it worked properly, up until 1981, when it was modified to operate with electricity. But the frequent power cuts from the bad weather in the area, especially during the winter, kept it out of operations for days, so in the 1990s it was turned into solar.

The lighthouse is classified as a Historic Preserved Monument and is under the service of Navy beacons. Usually on World Lighthouse Day, it opens its door to visitors, where they can tour and learn about the importance of lighthouses in navigation and the role of lighthouse keepers.