cycling unites us
countries of the baltic sea basin

Coastal: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden

Non-coastal: Belarus, Czech Republic, Norway, Slovakia, Ukraine

MAP
sotka race concept
sotka race for
"Lighthouses symbolise all that is best about human beings: the desire to warn of danger, the desire to save in a disaster, the desire to bring help to survivors and the desire to point to a proper way of life"
Big Stars of the Baltic Sea - Lighthouses - Valotalo
sielunmaisema
a landscape that holds a special place in the heart
Niclas Nordlund Photography
Marhällan is a lighthouse located on a dangerous stretch of ferry lines in Mariehamn. Before the lighthouse was built, many ships in the area were shipwrecked. There are many incredible stories about ships and lighthouses in the maritime history of Åland, and you can learn about them, for example, at the Mariehamn Maritime Museum.
Tero Koski Photography
Suomenlinna Church was built in 1854 as an Orthodox garrison church. In 1929, the central dome of the church became a lighthouse, making this church one of the few churches in the world with such a dual purpose.
photo from GRI
Styrsudden is an operating lighthouse on the northern coast of the Gulf of Finland, on Cape Styrsudden in the Vyborgsky district of the Leningrad region.
The first cycling race "Primorskaya Sotka" drove past the lighthouse Stirsudden on August 9, 2014.
The construction of the Tahkuna lighthouse began in 1873. The lighthouse has a metal structure, designed by British Alexander Gordon. The prefabricated structure of the lighthouse was made in France in 1873, and constructed in 1875, in the current location. The lighthouse has a height of 42.6 metres, and is the tallest of this type structure in Estonia. Since its construction the lighthouse has remained unchanged.
visitventspils
Oviši Lighthouse is considered to be the oldest surviving lighthouse in Latvia. The lighthouse marks dangerous coastal shoals and a sharp change in the direction of the coastline.

The Oviši lighthouse began its work in 1814. This is not only a navigation structure, but also a coastal protection structure of the 19th century - this is evidenced by the outer wall, the thickness of which reaches more than half a meter. The height of the lighthouse tower reaches 37 meters and it is built in the form of a double cylinder - inside, behind the outer walls of the lighthouse, there is a second tower with a diameter of 3.5 meters.
wikipedia
The lighthouse in Klaipėda was originally built in 1796, with its first glare shone on September 1, 1796. The lighthouse was the third oldest lighthouse on the coast of the Baltic Sea - with the only two older ones being in Gdańsk and in Travemünde. The lighthouse was completely destroyed in World War II, it was reconstructed and renovated in 1953.
Lighthouse Brüsterort - a coastal lighthouse, a signal light to mark Cape Taran and to warn sailors of a rocky reef lying nearby, stretching four kilometers into the sea. The line between the lighthouse Taran and the lighthouse Rozewie forms the natural boundary of the Gulf of Gdansk, and the cape is its extreme point in the northeast.

The ensemble of the lighthouse on Cape "Taran" is an identified object of cultural heritage of the Kaliningrad region.
latarnia.gda.pl
One of the most beautiful lighthouses on the Baltic stands 90 feet tall greeting ships at the entrance of the harbour of Gdansk. Until 1984, it served its duty as a coastal lighthouse, a harbour pilots tower, and a time ball station.
For years it not only showed the way to the port of Gdańsk to ships sailing behind the Hel Sandspit, but also acted as an observation point for maritime pilots and as a time ball station. It is now the only privately-owned lighthouse in Poland and is open from spring to autumn, a place from which to admire a breath-taking view over the entire Bay of Gdańsk.
The old lighthouse at Travemünde is the oldest in Germany. It was first mentioned in a document around 1330. The tower was destroyed in 1534 by Danish troops.
It was replaced by the present tower in 1539 which was built by Dutch workers.
The illumination would most probably have been provided originally by means of an open fire. Later on a lamp with a goldplated concave mirror was used. At that time hempseed oil was used as illuminant. In 1827 the upper part of the lighthouse was destroyed by a lightning strike. It was rebuilt in a classicistic style.

In 1903 the lighthouse was connected to the mains using carbon arc lamps, which were replaced by bulbs in 1937.
In 1972 the lighthouse was discontinued because the new hotel “Maritim” obscured the light.
A new beacon was established on the upper storey of the hotel in 1974.
race day
08/2025
attention
the exact date of the start of the multi-day cycling race around the Baltic Sea has not yet been determined