The Kampen Lighthouse is located on the

geest Geest is a type of landform, slightly raised above the surrounding countryside, that occurs on the plains of Northern Germany, the Northern Netherlands and Denmark. It is a landscape of sandy and gravelly soils formed as a glacial outwash plai ...

land core of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

island of

Sylt Sylt (; da, Sild; Sylt North Frisian, Söl'ring North Frisian: ) 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 ...

, south of

Kampen Campen or Kampen may refer to: Places Finland * Kampen, the Swedish name of Kamppi, a district in Helsinki Germany * Campen, Germany, a village by the Ems estuary, northwestern Germany, home of the Campen Lighthouse * Campen Castle, a part ...

. It is a white conical stone tower with a broad black band.

History

When Sylt belonged to the

Danish realm The Danish Realm ( da, Danmarks Rige; fo, Danmarkar Ríki; kl, Danmarkip Naalagaaffik), officially the Kingdom of Denmark (; ; ), is a sovereign state located in Northern Europe and Northern North America. It consists of metropolitan Denma ...

in 1853, King Frederick VII ordered the construction of a lighthouse on Sylt's highest elevation, the red cliff. The tower was first lit in 1856. Its original

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...

lantern was at the time a technical revolution and was displayed at the Paris World Exhibition in 1855. The tower was originally constructed from yellow

Bornholm Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...

bricks and was reinforced with iron rings in 1875. Until 1953, the lighthouse used to be greyish-yellow, the colour of the whithered bricks. Only then was it painted with its characteristic black and white. In the early years after its inauguration, the facility became popular with locals and tourists. Specifically, guest books from the 1970s and 80s bear witness to this. Unlike today, the tower could then still be accessed and visited by the public and provided views across the island. In 1929 the so far greatest modification was made when the entire lantern house was altered and the light source was changed from petroleum to electricity. There are no

lighthouse keeper A lighthouse keeper or lightkeeper is a person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Lighthouse keepers were sometimes referred to as ...

s any more since 1977, like all active lights on Sylt, the Kampen lighthouse is remotely controlled by a

time switch A time switch (also called a timer switch, or simply timer) is a timer that operates an electric switch controlled by the timing mechanism. Intermatic introduced its first time switch in 1945, which was used for "electric signs, store window light ...

Koblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman mili ...

. It is lit an hour prior to sunset and doused one hour after sunrise. Only once in its 150 years of existence, the lighthouse was severely threatened.

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...

plans proposed the expansion of an

airfield An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...

on the nearby Braderup heath and the tower would have to be detonated. With the occupation of

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

in 1940 these plans became obsolete though as the strategic importance of Sylt had significantly decreased. From 2004 to 2005 the lighthouse was elaborately renovated and was therefore completely scaffolded for several months. On 4 June 2006, the 150th anniversary was celebrated with a ''Turmfest'' and the rare opportunity was provided to scale the newly renovated tower. Admission tickets were drawn.

In popular culture

Due to its characteristic black and white marking the tower has become a popular motive for painters.

References

External links

{{Authority control Lighthouses completed in 1855 Lighthouses in Schleswig-Holstein Buildings and structures in Nordfriesland Sylt

History

In popular culture

See also

References

External links