Kullen Lighthouse
Encyclopedia
The Kullen Lighthouse is an operational lighthouse
in Scania
, located by the mouth of Öresund
, at the point of Kullaberg
peninsula
, in Höganäs
, on the south-west coast of Sweden
. Kullen is one of the most prominent landmarks along the Swedish coastline, and with its 1000 Watt
electric bulb in a huge lenshouse, also the most powerful lighthouse in Scandinavia
, overlooking one of the world's most heavily traveled waters.
The lighthouse is 15 meters tall and its focal plane is located 78.5 meters above sea level (before a correction in 1992, the official height was 88.5 meters), making it the highest located lighthouse in Sweden. Every 5 seconds, the Kullen Lighthouse flashes white for 0.3 seconds with a range of 24.5 nautical miles (45.4 km). In times of fog
, a foghorn
provides an audible warning of a double signal every 30 seconds.
There have been different kinds of lighthouses at Kullen for more than 1000 years, but the first conventional lighthouse was established by King Frederick II
in 1561. This was a Vippefyr
or bascule light. In 1577, the Danish
astronomer Tycho Brahe
became the lighthouse administrator at Kullen, a position he held until his death in 1601. Apparently he was originally not very diligent about his duties. Complaints by merchant mariners led in 1585 to Brahe being explicitly ordered to better look after the lighthouse or lose his land at Kullaberg
.
The present lighthouse was designed by the Swedish
architect Magnus Dahlander, in 1898. It is built in granite
and brick
and has three large lenses
in a lensehouse that rotates four times per minute, hence giving twelve flashes per minute. Based on Augustin-Jean Fresnel
's design, the lensehouse was constructed by the French company Barbier & Barnard and delivered in the summer of 1900. It consists of three lenses of 2.55 m in diameter
, weighs 6 metric tons and rotates on a base filled with 50 liters of mercury
. The Kullen lighthouse was automated in 1979 and is remote-controlled by the Swedish Maritime Administration's
check at Norrköping
. However, in spite of being automated, the lighthouse is one of few remaining staffed with a lighthouse keeper.
, criss-crossed by numerous hiking trails. Approximately three kilometers to the southeast is the harbour town of Mölle
.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
in Scania
Scania
Scania is the southernmost of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden, constituting a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, and some adjacent islands. The modern administrative subdivision Skåne County is almost, but not totally, congruent with the...
, located by the mouth of Öresund
Oresund
The Sound , is the strait that separates the Danish island Zealand from the southern Swedish province of Scania. Its width is just at the narrowest point between Helsingør, Denmark, and Helsingborg, Sweden...
, at the point of Kullaberg
Kullaberg
Kullaberg is a nature reserve situated on a peninsula of land protruding into the Kattegat in Höganäs Municipality near the town of Mölle in southwest Sweden. The site in the province of Skåne is an area of considerable biodiversity supporting a number of rare species and has been designated as an...
peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
, in Höganäs
Höganäs Municipality
Höganäs Municipality is one of 290 municipalities of Sweden, in Skåne County in the southern part of the country. Its seat is located in the city of Höganäs....
, on the south-west coast of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Kullen is one of the most prominent landmarks along the Swedish coastline, and with its 1000 Watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
electric bulb in a huge lenshouse, also the most powerful lighthouse in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, overlooking one of the world's most heavily traveled waters.
The lighthouse is 15 meters tall and its focal plane is located 78.5 meters above sea level (before a correction in 1992, the official height was 88.5 meters), making it the highest located lighthouse in Sweden. Every 5 seconds, the Kullen Lighthouse flashes white for 0.3 seconds with a range of 24.5 nautical miles (45.4 km). In times of fog
Fog
Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
, a foghorn
Foghorn
A foghorn or fog signal or fog bell is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of hazards or boats of the presence of other vehicles in foggy conditions. The term is most often used in relation to marine transport...
provides an audible warning of a double signal every 30 seconds.
History
Frederick II of Denmark
Frederick II was King of Denmark and Norway and duke of Schleswig from 1559 until his death.-King of Denmark:Frederick II was the son of King Christian III of Denmark and Norway and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. Frederick II stands as the typical renaissance ruler of Denmark. Unlike his father, he...
in 1561. This was a Vippefyr
Vippefyr
A vippefyr or bascule light or tipping lantern was a type of small navigational aid popular in Denmark in the 18th century and before. It consisted of a basket in which wood or coal was set; this was then burned. The basket was affixed to a lever that allowed it to be manipulated as required...
or bascule light. In 1577, the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
astronomer Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe , born Tyge Ottesen Brahe, was a Danish nobleman known for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations...
became the lighthouse administrator at Kullen, a position he held until his death in 1601. Apparently he was originally not very diligent about his duties. Complaints by merchant mariners led in 1585 to Brahe being explicitly ordered to better look after the lighthouse or lose his land at Kullaberg
Kullaberg
Kullaberg is a nature reserve situated on a peninsula of land protruding into the Kattegat in Höganäs Municipality near the town of Mölle in southwest Sweden. The site in the province of Skåne is an area of considerable biodiversity supporting a number of rare species and has been designated as an...
.
The present lighthouse was designed by the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
architect Magnus Dahlander, in 1898. It is built in granite
Granite
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...
and brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
and has three large lenses
Lens (optics)
A lens is an optical device with perfect or approximate axial symmetry which transmits and refracts light, converging or diverging the beam. A simple lens consists of a single optical element...
in a lensehouse that rotates four times per minute, hence giving twelve flashes per minute. Based on Augustin-Jean Fresnel
Augustin-Jean Fresnel
Augustin-Jean Fresnel , was a French engineer who contributed significantly to the establishment of the theory of wave optics. Fresnel studied the behaviour of light both theoretically and experimentally....
's design, the lensehouse was constructed by the French company Barbier & Barnard and delivered in the summer of 1900. It consists of three lenses of 2.55 m in diameter
Diameter
In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle. The diameters are the longest chords of the circle...
, weighs 6 metric tons and rotates on a base filled with 50 liters of mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
. The Kullen lighthouse was automated in 1979 and is remote-controlled by the Swedish Maritime Administration's
Swedish Maritime Administration
The Swedish Maritime Administration is the Swedish government agency which provides services to the transport sector by keeping the sea lanes open and safe...
check at Norrköping
Norrköping
Norrköping is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County. The city has a population of 87,247 inhabitants in 2010, out of a municipal total of 130,050, making it Sweden's tenth largest city and eighth largest...
. However, in spite of being automated, the lighthouse is one of few remaining staffed with a lighthouse keeper.
Area setting
The Kullen Lighthouse is situated within the Kullaberg Nature Reserve, a cliff and forest habitat for a variety of rare speciesRare species
A rare species is a group of organisms that are very uncommon or scarce. This designation may be applied to either a plant or animal taxon, and may be distinct from the term "endangered" or "threatened species" but not "extinct"....
, criss-crossed by numerous hiking trails. Approximately three kilometers to the southeast is the harbour town of Mölle
Mölle
Mölle is a locality situated in Höganäs Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 725 inhabitants in 2005.It is best known for its scenic harbour and its location adjacent to the Kullaberg Nature Reserve...
.