Amrum Lighthouse
Encyclopedia
The Amrum lighthouse is located in the southern part of the German
island of Amrum
, approximately 2 kilometres west of the village of Wittdün
, yet still adhering to the municipality of Nebel
. Its designation in German
is Seefeuer Amrum. It is one of the island's landmarks, being open to the public during the summer season.
shore. The tower itself is 41.8 metres tall, which makes its top reach 67.4 metres above msl. The range of the white sector amounts to 23.3 nautical mile
s.
The lens
is made up of 16 panels of converging lenses. The light character is "Fl, 7.5s", i.e. a single flashing light with an intervall of 7.5 seconds. A 230V/250V
halogen metal vapour lamp is used as lantern.
and Sylt
, published in the Hamburger Zeitung in 1868, sparked a controversial debate among experts about where to build a lighthouse in the area. In 1872 it was decided that a lighthouse be built atop a 25 metres high dune on Amrum. Constructions were taken up in 1873 but turned into an obstacle course for all those involved.
stones for the spiral stairs were missing. When the shipment arrived, a number of workers went on strike and refused to set foot on the "dull" island. Yet the remaining workers and some additional auxiliary hands were able to finish the brick building until November 1874, and to install the first order Fresnel lens
with its Argand lamp
of five wicks. The lens had been displayed at the Paris Exposition
in 1867. Also, a dwelling house was built below the dune to host three lighthouse keepers.
The "Amrum Wittdün Lighthouse" (Leuchtfeuer Amrum Wittdün) was officially activated on January 1, 1875, shortly before sunset. It was the first German lighthouse to be erected in Nordfriesland
. In 1936, the lantern was electrified and only in 1952 the lighthouse received its red and white marking. The last keeper left the lighthouse in 1984 when the facility had become automated.
. Some parts have — compared to today's standards — extremely high durability. For example, a ball-bearing
which carried the entire optic had to be changed only in 1993, 118 years after the lighthouse's activation.
in 2005 and 2008.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
island of Amrum
Amrum
Amrum is one of the North Frisian Islands on the German North Sea coast, south of Sylt and west of Föhr. It is part of the Nordfriesland district in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein...
, approximately 2 kilometres west of the village of Wittdün
Wittdün
Wittdün is a municipality on the island of Amrum in the district of Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.- History :...
, yet still adhering to the municipality of Nebel
Nebel, Germany
Nebel is a municipality on the island of Amrum in the district of Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.- Geography and traffic :...
. Its designation in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
is Seefeuer Amrum. It is one of the island's landmarks, being open to the public during the summer season.
Data
The focal plane height of the lightsource measures 63 metres above mean sea level and thereby it is one of the highest lights along the German North SeaNorth Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
shore. The tower itself is 41.8 metres tall, which makes its top reach 67.4 metres above msl. The range of the white sector amounts to 23.3 nautical mile
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
s.
The lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
is made up of 16 panels of converging lenses. The light character is "Fl, 7.5s", i.e. a single flashing light with an intervall of 7.5 seconds. A 230V/250V
Volt
The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...
halogen metal vapour lamp is used as lantern.
History
An article on the loss of three vessels around the islands of AmrumAmrum
Amrum is one of the North Frisian Islands on the German North Sea coast, south of Sylt and west of Föhr. It is part of the Nordfriesland district in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein...
and Sylt
Sylt
Sylt is an island in northern Germany, part of Nordfriesland district, Schleswig-Holstein, and well known for the distinctive shape of its shoreline. It belongs to the North Frisian Islands and is the largest island in North Frisia...
, published in the Hamburger Zeitung in 1868, sparked a controversial debate among experts about where to build a lighthouse in the area. In 1872 it was decided that a lighthouse be built atop a 25 metres high dune on Amrum. Constructions were taken up in 1873 but turned into an obstacle course for all those involved.
Construction and activation
After five weeks only, the construction works had to be halted when the graniteGranite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
stones for the spiral stairs were missing. When the shipment arrived, a number of workers went on strike and refused to set foot on the "dull" island. Yet the remaining workers and some additional auxiliary hands were able to finish the brick building until November 1874, and to install the first order Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
with its Argand lamp
Argand lamp
The Argand lamp is home lighting oil lamp producing a light output of 6 to 10 candlepower which was invented and patented in 1780 by Aimé Argand...
of five wicks. The lens had been displayed at the Paris Exposition
Exposition Universelle (1867)
The Exposition Universelle of 1867 was a World Exposition held in Paris, France, in 1867.-Conception:In 1864, Emperor Napoleon III decreed that an international exposition should be held in Paris in 1867. A commission was appointed with Prince Jerome Napoleon as president, under whose direction...
in 1867. Also, a dwelling house was built below the dune to host three lighthouse keepers.
The "Amrum Wittdün Lighthouse" (Leuchtfeuer Amrum Wittdün) was officially activated on January 1, 1875, shortly before sunset. It was the first German lighthouse to be erected in Nordfriesland
Nordfriesland
Nordfriesland, English "Northern Friesland" or "North Frisia", is a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It includes almost all of traditional North Frisia along with adjacent areas to the east and south and is bounded by the districts of Schleswig-Flensburg and Dithmarschen, the North Sea and...
. In 1936, the lantern was electrified and only in 1952 the lighthouse received its red and white marking. The last keeper left the lighthouse in 1984 when the facility had become automated.
The optic
The 2.7 metres tall optic with a weight of 2.9 tonnes is extremely precious. Its current value is put at five million EuroEuro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
. Some parts have — compared to today's standards — extremely high durability. For example, a ball-bearing
Rolling-element bearing
A rolling-element bearing, also known as a rolling bearing, is a bearing which carries a load by placing round elements between the two pieces...
which carried the entire optic had to be changed only in 1993, 118 years after the lighthouse's activation.
In popular culture
Amrum lighthouse was featured on two German stamps by Deutsche PostDeutsche Post
Deutsche Post AG, operating under the trade name Deutsche Post DHL, is the world's largest logistics group. With its headquarters in Bonn, the corporation has 467,088 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide and generated revenue of € 51.48 billion in 2010...
in 2005 and 2008.