Calais Lighthouse is a significant landmark as well as a navigational aid to ships and ferries using the Straits of Dover. There was a beacon at the summit of the watchtower from 1818. King Louis-Philippe in his plans to improve French ports decided the construction of a first-class lighthouse in Calais. This lighthouse started operating in 1848 and was electrified in 1883. After escaping the destruction of the Second World War it was automated in 1987.
The lighthouse is 53m high, its tower is octagonal outside and round inside with walls 1,90m at the base and 1,50m at the summit. The foundations descend 7,40m under the cellars. The staircase has 271 steps leading up to the lantern. The central light of the lighthouse is permanent and the lantern, whose panels shut off the light, turns around the light, giving 4 flashes of 2/10th of a second every 15 seconds.
References:House of the Blackheads (Melngalvju nams) is a building situated in the old town of Riga. The original building was erected during the first third of the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in Riga. Major works were done in the years 1580 and 1886, adding most of the ornaments.
The structure was bombed to a ruin by the Germans June 28, 1941 and the remains demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999. Today the House of Blackheads serves as a museum and sometimes concert hall.