A beacon is ... Etymology, meaning, classification. The most mysterious lighthouses of the world

Probably every inhabitant of the planet is familiar with the Alexandria lighthouse. Built in the third century BC, today it is known as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Even then they built it for a specific purpose: it helped the mariners safely pass through reefs, which in large numbers met on the way to the Alexandrian bay. In the afternoon the ships were helped by a column of smoke, and at night - reflected bonfires. How did you choose the location for the construction of this lighthouse? When did these structures become widespread? Where are the most mystical beacons of the world? And what does the word "lighthouse" mean? Answers to these and many other questions look for below!

Lighthouse: meaning in the etymological dictionary

Linguists assert: the roots of this word in the Proto-Slavonic. "Ma'ak" became the basis for the Old Russian word "lighthouse", which in translation to modern Russian means "landmark" or "sign". In addition, ma'ak - the basis of the Polish majak, meaning "mirage, a detour". "Mayak" is also consonant with the ancient Indian, New Persian and Ossetian words, which have the translation "pile".

Lighthouse: the meaning of the word today

To date, beacons are a means of navigational equipment of a tower type. These capital structures are located on the coasts of large reservoirs and have precise geographical coordinates.

The explanatory dictionary also has a "beacon". The meaning of the word - "tower, equipped with signal lights, located on the seashore."

By their purpose, beacons are divided into several types:

- The port. Such facilities are located at the entrance to the port.

- Cautionary. These lighthouses allow the ships to see the dangerous places of the fairway.

- Indicative. Their main goal is to allow the mariners to check the correctness of the course by which the vessel is going. These lighthouses are usually placed directly in the open sea - on the shoals or rocks. Often as a basis for the towers create artificial elevations.

Lighthouse outside and inside

The typical color of the lighthouses is white. There are structures with transverse bands of black or red. Build lighthouses in the form of towers. The main feature of these towers is that the impressive size of the hewn stones from which they are erected represent a practically monolithic mass. This result is achieved due to the quality of the hanger.

In order for the lighthouse to be clearly visible even in the storm, it is equipped with a powerful light source. The room for the caretaker is usually erected next to the main tower, if it is located on the shore. But if the lighthouse is located in the middle of the sea, the living quarters for the lighthouse will be organized right in the tower. Immediately there are warehouses, water tanks.

Navigation properties

In order for the ship's crew to determine from which side the ship approaches the lighthouse, some lanterns are color-coded, consisting of several bands of a certain color. These bands are called the "day mark". In the dark, this function is performed by sector lights. The white color of the sectoral fire, which indicates the lighthouse, means a safe sect. Left from the safe sector, the area is usually designated by red fire, and the right one by green.

Interesting facts about lighthouses

The oldest lighthouse is a lighthouse located in Spain. It was built by the Roman emperor Trajan in the second century! And the Statue of Liberty was used for sixteen years as a means of navigation. The first stone lighthouse, which is located in England, was erected in 1756. He pointed the way to the sailors with the help of 24 candles. The power of today's navigation towers - more than twenty million candles!

By the way, there is even a functioning lighthouse church. This is the Ascension Church. Built it in 1862 on the Great Solovki Island. And the tallest lighthouse in the world is a steel tower located in Yokohama. Its height exceeds 100 meters. Despite the fact that the lighthouses are known since ancient times, the French before the seventeenth century did not designate their coastlines with the help of lights. The absence of lighthouses should have prevented the attack of pirates.

Mystical beacons

Throughout the world, there are many abandoned lighthouse towers, previously served as guides for sailors. Many mysterious and mysterious stories are associated with them.

Perhaps the most mysterious lighthouse is Eileen Moore. In the middle of December 1900, under mysterious circumstances, three supervisors disappeared at once! Sailors sailing to the lighthouse found only empty boxes, in which earlier there were products. The gate leading to the tower was securely closed. Once inside, the sailors were extremely surprised: the beds of the caretakers were straightened, the table - turned upside down. The raincoats of the lighthouses lay here. However, most of the seafarers were struck by the following fact: the dead hands of all the watches in the tower showed one time. This mystery remains unsolved to this day.

There is a beacon in the world that brings physical ailments to people. It is located in Britain. The lighthouse of Talakre was abandoned as early as the end of the nineteenth century, but visitors still complain about the symptoms of various diseases that appear after visiting the building. The history of this lighthouse says: one of its caretakers died right at the workplace. The cause was fever. Some visitors say: the lighthouse in antique form looks after the tower today. People often see his ghost, which is then upstairs, then strolls around.

The most expensive lighthouse in the history of the United States of America is a lighthouse built on the reef of St. George. It took more than ten years to erect it. However, those who wanted to work here practically did not exist - the island where it is located, is at a considerable distance from civilization, on this place the waves are constantly raging. Five guards always worked here, this allowed people not to go insane. However, in 1923 five huge beacons were washed away by a huge wave. Since then, the light on the lighthouse never caught fire.