Utrish Lighthouse

The Utrish Lighthouse (Утришский маяк) stands on Utrish Island by the village of Bolshoy Utrish, in the Anapa municipality of Krasnodar Krai, on the Black Sea coast. It is a small complex of two lighthouses: an old one, now turned into a chapel, and a new one built in 1975, next to which there are memorials to sailors and to the crew of an aircraft that crashed nearby.

Utrish Island

The island is a narrow rocky ridge running along the shore. A strait about 20 metres wide separates it from the mainland, and a metal footbridge spans it, so the lighthouse can be reached on foot. The island looks out over the sea and the mountain ridges that come down to the coast at Bolshoy Utrish; there are viewing platforms on it.

History of the lighthouses

The old lighthouse dates from around the turn of the 20th century: some sources give 1911, others the late 19th century. Today it houses a chapel of St Nicholas the Wonderworker, revered as the patron saint of seafarers and fishermen.

The new Utrish Lighthouse was erected in 1975. It is about 26 metres tall. It was also conceived as a monument to the sailors of the Azov-Black Sea Shipping Company who served in the Second World War.

What to see

• The chapel of St Nicholas inside the old lighthouse.
• A memorial bas-relief and a granite slab with the names of the crew members of the transport ship Yan Fabritsius, sunk during the Second World War.
• A monument to the crew of the Yak-40 aircraft that crashed on 9 September 1976.
• Viewing platforms overlooking the Black Sea and the coast.

Legend of the name

According to a local legend, the name Utrish comes from the Russian word "utro", morning, because this is supposedly where the sun touches the shore first. It is a folk explanation rather than a scholarly account of the place name.

Getting to the lighthouse

Bolshoy Utrish lies south of Anapa along the coast. The drive from Anapa takes 25 to 30 minutes. Minibus No. 109 runs from Anapa to the village, and from there the lighthouse is a walk across the bridge onto the island. In summer, pleasure boats sail to Utrish from the Anapa piers.

A visit to the lighthouse combines easily with a walk along the Bolshoy Utrish waterfront and a trip to the dolphinarium.