Status: 07.08.2023 10:15 a.m
Square or round, made of brick or with stripes: lighthouses like the one in Westerhever characterize our coasts. Interesting facts and tips on where to find particularly beautiful navigation marks on the Baltic and North Seas.
Even in ancient times, they showed the way for ships, today lighthouses characterize coastal landscapes worldwide. There are around 200 towers on Germany’s coasts alone, many of which are known far beyond their region, such as the lighthouses on Amrum and Hiddensee, at Cape Arkona on Rügen or in Westerhever on the Eiderstedt peninsula.
Roter Sand lighthouse stands in the middle of the sea
Many of the navigation aids on the North and Baltic Seas are technical masterpieces. The Roter Sand lighthouse in the German Bight northeast of Wangerooge, for example, is the world‘s first navigation mark to be built in the middle of the sea. It was put into operation in 1885. Because it is dilapidated, it is to be dismantled and set up again near the coast. In October 1900, an electric beacon was operated for the first time in Büsum, which generated its electricity from wind power – a technical sensation that, however, did not catch on at the time.
Other technical innovations that can be traced back to the lighthouses, on the other hand, became export hits, such as special lenses that were later shipped from Germany all over the world.
Landmarks, industrial monuments and observation towers
The construction history of some lighthouses is also interesting. For example, the lighthouse in Westerhever owes its two small flanking residential buildings to structural considerations alone. A single two-storey house with the official apartments for the guards, such as the one built in Hörnum on Sylt, would have been too heavy for the location on a mound.
Many lighthouses can be visited from the inside
In many places, lighthouses are well-known landmarks and popular photo motifs. Some can also be visited from the inside, house small exhibitions, cafés or even hotels. And of course, many towers have viewing platforms, some of which offer spectacular views. These include, for example, the lighthouses on Amrum, Borkum, at Cape Arkona on Rügen, on Norderney and in Warnemünde.
Numerous upper and lower lights along the Elbe
The old lower light Hollerwettern near Brokdorf on the Elbe now accommodates holidaymakers.
Lighthouses also show ships the way along the Elbe: There they usually mark the safe navigation channel and consist of an upper and lower light. If the higher upper light and the lower lower light are in line for the captain, the course is correct. There are twelve lighthouses on the Schleswig-Holstein banks of the Elbe alone, but none of them are open to the public. Many of them are on the Elbe Cycle Path.
Further information
4 Min
The islander Gregor Ulsamer has written several books about her. The smallest tower is also printed as a stamp motif. 4 mins
The Westerhever lighthouse offers a spectacular view over Eiderstedt, the North Sea coast and the Wadden Sea. more
How did lighthouse keepers live 100 years ago? A small museum in the Obereversand lighthouse in the district of Cuxhaven shows it. more
2 Min
In Hamburg and along the Elbe, hundreds of lighthouses show ships the way. The oldest house in the Hanseatic city is also a lighthouse. 2 mins
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Hello Lower Saxony | 05/03/2023 | 19:30 o’clock