Aside from its natural beauties, there are some iconic lighthouses in Iceland that are worth seeing. There are lighthouses which are more than a century old and there are lighthouses from which you can see the northern lights. Each lighthouse has its own history and witnessed important events.
Thridrangar Lighthouse
One of the most iconic lighthouses in Iceland must be the Thridrangar Lighthouse. Its construction took a year, started in 1938 and ended in 1939 but it became operational in 1942. The most distinct aspect of the Thridrangar is that it stands upon a tall rock in the middle of the sea.
Most people call the Thridrangar the loneliest lighthouse in the world. This is true in a sense because the lighthouse is located 7 kilometres off of the coast of Iceland. Moreover, people who built it could not use machinery due to the rocky terrain.
This is another reason why the Thridrangar is one of the most iconic lighthouses in Iceland. The officials hired experienced mountaineers to scale the rock and even they could not use their tools because the rock would not bite. Even today, the lighthouse is only accessible through helicopters.
Knarraros Lighthouse
An art-nouveau lighthouse is probably not a phrase that many people have said before nor have seen. But this is the iconic aspect of the Knarraros Lighthouse. The designer of the Knarraros was Axel Sveinsson who wanted to blend functionalism with art-nouveau style to bring about a unique lighthouse.
The Knarraros’ construction took one year and finished in 1939, similar to the Thridrangar. However, the Knarraros Lightouse holds the distinct honor of being the first lighthouse in Iceland built out of reinforced concrete. Until that point in Iceland, nearly all of the lighthouses were made of stone or brick.
Moreover, the lighthouse is nearly 27 meters tall making it one of the tallest lighthouses in Iceland. The lighthouse was also home to tragedy as there were two confirmed suicides in it. Many locals believe that the dead haunt the lighthouse during the night.
Grotta Lighthouse
Arguably, one of the most interesting and iconic lighthouses in Iceland is the Grotta Lighthouse. It is located in the Grotta tied-island of Reykjavik. The current Grotta was built in 1947 and but there was a lighthouse in its place in the 1890s.
The most stunning part of the Grotta is that during certain times of the year, the lighthouse experiences the Northern Lights perfectly. Due to this reason, it also became a popular touristic attraction as thousands of people come to visit the Grotta ever year from all over the world.
Since it is a remote lighthouse, there is so little light pollution which makes it all the better to see the lights. However, the officials warn visitors because the Grotta is tied to the mainland by a thin strip of land. During high tide times, the strip is submerged by water, cutting the connection to the land, leaving people stranded.
