The Kõpu Lighthouse has been in continuous use since it was first built in 1531. The idea for the lighthouse dates back to before 1490 because the most important East–West shipping lane in the Baltic Sea passed the Hiiu sandbank, where the tower is located. Hanseatic merchants had been asking for years to put a landmark on the peninsula and they finally got permission in 1499 from the bishop of Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek. The following year, the bishop agreed to let them build a massive stone pillar without any openings. However, construction was stalled for the next few years after a war broke out.
The majority of the tower’s construction took place from 1514 – 1519 and a fire was first lit in the fall of 1531. Since then, a few parts of the tower have been reconstructed. Today, Kõpu Lighthouse serves as a symbol of Hiiumaa and is a major tourist attraction.
