Büsum Lighthouse (german: Leuchtturm Büsum) is an active 20th century
lighthouse located in
Büsum
Büsum () is a fishing and tourist town in the district of Dithmarschen, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the North Sea coast, approx. 18 km southwest of Heide.
Büsum is also the administrative seat of the ''Amt'' ("collec ...
a fishing and tourist town, which lies on
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
coast of
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...
, in Germany. The current lighthouse is the second to be built in the town, two other separate breakwater lights mark the entrance of the small harbour from the North Sea.
History
The first lighthouse built in 1878 was simply a lantern mounted on a wooden post, which was fuelled by kerosene. A replica of this early aid to navigation, exists next to the local museum.
The current lighthouse was constructed in 1912 and 1913,
and is made up of prefabricated
cast iron
Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impu ...
sections, and is similar in design, although not as tall, as the lighthouses at
Westerheversand
Westerhever ( da, Vesterhever) is a municipality in Nordfriesland in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.
Geography
Westerhever lies on the northwestern tip of the Eiderstedt Peninsula. The Westerheversand Lighthouse is a major landmark on ...
,
Hörnum
( Sölring Frisian: ''Hörnem'', Danish: ''Hørnum'') is a municipality in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is located on the southern headland of the island of Sylt. The municipality is part of the ''Amt'' ...
and
Pellworm
( da, Pelvorm; North Frisian ''Polweerm'') is a municipality in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
The municipality is located on the island of Pellworm – one of the North Frisian Islands on the North Sea coast of ...
.
Originally painted black, it did not receive its current red and white
daymark
A daymark is a navigational aid for sailors and pilots, distinctively marked to maximize its visibility in daylight.
The word is also used in a more specific, technical sense to refer to a signboard or daytime identifier that is attached to ...
colour scheme until 1952. The lantern has twin galleries with a roof of sheet copper.
The lighthouse at 21.4 metres, is higher than most buildings in the town, and stands 22 metres above mean high tide. It has a nominal range of 19
nautical miles
A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( of a degree) of latitude. Today t ...
and a
light characteristic
A light characteristic is all of the properties that make a particular navigational light identifiable. Graphical and textual descriptions of navigational light sequences and colours are displayed on nautical charts and in Light Lists with the ch ...
showing a white, red or green
sector
Sector may refer to:
Places
* Sector, West Virginia, U.S.
Geometry
* Circular sector, the portion of a disc enclosed by two radii and a circular arc
* Hyperbolic sector, a region enclosed by two radii and a hyperbolic arc
* Spherical sector, a p ...
, isophase light of three seconds on, then three seconds off.
In 2013, the centenary of the lighthouse was celebrated, when it was depicted on a 58-cent lighthouse stamp series by
Deutsche Post
The Deutsche Post AG, operating under the trade name Deutsche Post DHL Group, is a German multinational package delivery and supply chain management company headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It is one of the world's largest courier companies. ...
the German postal service.
Operated by the Water and Shipping Authority at
Tönning
Tönning ( German; Low German ''Tünn'', ''Tönn'' or ''Tönnen''; Danish: ''Tønning''; North Frisian: ''Taning'') is a town in the district of Nordfriesland in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.
History
Tönning was destroyed in the ...
, it is registered under the international Admiralty number B1606 and has the
NGA identifier of 114-10580.
Breakwater lights
Located on the harbour breakwaters of Büsum are two other lights. On the west mole is a 9-metre high red tower which displays an occulting red light. The east mole has a similar tower, painted green that displays an occulting green light.
See also
*
List of lighthouses and lightvessels in Germany
This is a list of lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inla ...
References
External links
WSA page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Busum
Lighthouses in Schleswig-Holstein
Lighthouses completed in 1913
Heritage sites in Schleswig-Holstein