Lighthouse Warnemünde
Encyclopedia
Lighthouse Warnemünde is a lighthouse situated on the estuary
of the Warnow river in Warnemünde
, a district of the city of Rostock
. The lighthouse has a height of 36.9 metres (121.1 ft) and was put into service in 1898.
. The construction of the lighthouse was officially approved already in 1863, however, in consequence of the deep disagreement between the financiers: the town of Rostock, the district administrator (estates of the country: parliament of patricians and knights) and the railway of Mecklenburg
(the latter as owner of the ferry boat traject traffic to Gedser
, Denmark
, since 1886) the realization of the project started only 1897. The commissioning started one year later at October 1898. The building was planned and erected by the director of harbour construction, Friedrich Kerner.
stones and some bands of green bricks. The tower
carries two galleries used as panorama sight for visitors.
During the first time the lighthouse lamp
used petroleum
and later gas
for producing the light. In the beginning the rotating Fresnel lens
assembly was propelled by a clockwork
, driven by a heavy iron weight gliding down a steel tube in the center of the tower. Every evening the lighthouse keeper had first to pump up 90 liters of petroleum to a tank on the top and then to crank up the weight every two hours. Since 1927 it operated electrically. The angle of the light ranges over 180° and is collected by mirror reflectors on the land side. The light can still be seen in a distance of about 20 nautical miles (37 km).
The light characteristic or the light pattern, which enables the identification of the fire, is: 0,3 fl. -2,7 dark -0,3 fl. -2,7 dark -0,3 fl. -8,7 dark -0,3 fl. -8,7 dark. Every sequence lasts 24 seconds.
The lighthouse can be climbed by a granite
spiral staircase. Up to 1978 the lighthouse was watched by a lighthouse keeper. Now the service is centralized and will be managed by Sea Traffic Control
Center at Hohe Düne.
In the sixties of the last century1960s the walls of the lighthouse showed some fissures. Thus 1969 a restoration was started which however could be finished only in 1993. Since that time the lighthouse is again open for visitors climbing to the top, today a matter of high importance for tourism
.
At Warnemünde exists a very active group of peoples unified in the Warnemünder Leuchtturmverein. Mainly its members are coaching the tourists unsalaried.
light and music is celebrated on New Year's Day. The name of the event is "Lighthouse in Flames", and attracts some 10,000 people.
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
of the Warnow river in Warnemünde
Warnemünde
Warnemünde is a sea resort and northmost district of Rostock in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, situated on the Baltic Sea in the northeast of Germany at the estuary of the river Warnow.- History :...
, a district of the city of Rostock
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
. The lighthouse has a height of 36.9 metres (121.1 ft) and was put into service in 1898.
Planning
In 1862 it was decided to substitute the old 8 m high stormlamp in Warnemünde by a new lighthouseLighthouse
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....
. The construction of the lighthouse was officially approved already in 1863, however, in consequence of the deep disagreement between the financiers: the town of Rostock, the district administrator (estates of the country: parliament of patricians and knights) and the railway of Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
(the latter as owner of the ferry boat traject traffic to Gedser
Gedser
Gedser is a town at the southern tip of the Danish island of Falster in the Guldborgsund Municipality in Sjælland region. It is the southernmost town in Denmark. The town has a population of 809...
, Denmark
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...
, since 1886) the realization of the project started only 1897. The commissioning started one year later at October 1898. The building was planned and erected by the director of harbour construction, Friedrich Kerner.
Building
33 posts were piled 11 meters deep into the earth to give the foundation. The lighthouse has two cellars and the part above the earth is 31 m high and built by glazed white brickBrick
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:...
stones and some bands of green bricks. The tower
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
carries two galleries used as panorama sight for visitors.
During the first time the lighthouse lamp
Lamp
Lamp is a light source, while LAMP is an acronym.-Lamps:Lamp may refer to one of the following:*Oil lamp, the original use of the term*Kerosene lamp, a lamp burning liquid petroleum...
used petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
and later gas
Gas
Gas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...
for producing the light. In the beginning the rotating 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...
assembly was propelled by a clockwork
Clockwork
A clockwork is the inner workings of either a mechanical clock or a device that operates in a similar fashion. Specifically, the term refers to a mechanical device utilizing a complex series of gears....
, driven by a heavy iron weight gliding down a steel tube in the center of the tower. Every evening the lighthouse keeper had first to pump up 90 liters of petroleum to a tank on the top and then to crank up the weight every two hours. Since 1927 it operated electrically. The angle of the light ranges over 180° and is collected by mirror reflectors on the land side. The light can still be seen in a distance of about 20 nautical miles (37 km).
The light characteristic or the light pattern, which enables the identification of the fire, is: 0,3 fl. -2,7 dark -0,3 fl. -2,7 dark -0,3 fl. -8,7 dark -0,3 fl. -8,7 dark. Every sequence lasts 24 seconds.
The lighthouse can be climbed by a 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...
spiral staircase. Up to 1978 the lighthouse was watched by a lighthouse keeper. Now the service is centralized and will be managed by Sea Traffic Control
Traffic control
Road traffic control involves directing vehicular and pedestrian traffic around a construction zone, accident or other road disruption, thus ensuring the safety of emergency response teams, construction workers and the general public....
Center at Hohe Düne.
In the sixties of the last century1960s the walls of the lighthouse showed some fissures. Thus 1969 a restoration was started which however could be finished only in 1993. Since that time the lighthouse is again open for visitors climbing to the top, today a matter of high importance for tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
.
At Warnemünde exists a very active group of peoples unified in the Warnemünder Leuchtturmverein. Mainly its members are coaching the tourists unsalaried.
Events
Each year a large lighthouse show with laserLaser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
light and music is celebrated on New Year's Day. The name of the event is "Lighthouse in Flames", and attracts some 10,000 people.