Hohe Weg Lighthouse

Hohe Weg is an offshore lighthouse in the German Bight, located 25 km northwest of Bremerhaven, Germany. It is the oldest fixed offshore lighthouse of the Weser estuary in the Wadden Sea, having been in operation since 1856.[1]

Hohe Weg
Locationoffshore, Weser estuary
Coordinates53°42′44.44″N 8°14′35.68″E
Year first constructed1856
Year first lit1856
Automated1973
Construction1854–1856
Tower height36 m
Focal height29 metre 
Current lensFresnel lens
Intensity126,000 cd
Range19.5 nautical mile, 16.2 nautical mile, 15 nautical mile 
CharacteristicF.WRG

Location

The lighthouse is located on the sandbank of the same name on the left bank of the outer Weser. It is 3 km south of the island Mellum and about 20 km north of the mainland. At high tide, the lighthouse is fully surrounded by water. At low tide, the sandbank emerges which it is part of.

  • Location as part of the radar chain Weser
  • Lighthouse and the sandbank
  • Aerial view
  • Lighthouse at low tide

History

Coastal maps from 1757 indicate the existence of a shipping signal at the location of today's lighthouse. In 1783 a wooden structure, the Bremer Bake, was built. Due to the increasing shipping traffic to the Weser, initial consultations started in 1824 to explore the construction of a fixed offshore lighthouse. Work started in 1854 and was completed in 1856. The offshore location posed a challenge and work was only possible during low tide when the sandbank was exposed.[2]

In order to optimize the safety, the lighthouse saw further upgrades between 1960 and 1961 with the installation of a radar system, directional radio antennas and a new casing for the light. In 1973 operation was fully automated and the lighthouse keeper withdrawn.[1][3]

  • Historical painting of Bremer Bake and sandbank Hohe Weg (1790)

Trivia

In 2006, the German post office issued a special 55ct stamp to commemorate its 150th anniversary.[4]

The lighthouse contains some space that can be used as an emergency shelter by hikers in the Wadden Sea in case of a rising tide.

See also

References
  1. "Hoheweg". wsa-bremerhaven.de (in German). Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  2. Lang, Arend Wilhelm (1965). Geschichte des Seezeichenwesens. Entwicklung, Aufbau und Verwaltung des Seezeichenwesens an der deutschen Nordseeküste bis zur Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts. Bonn: Bundesministerium für Verkehr. p. 10.
  3. "Hohe Weg". wsv.de (in German). Archived from the original on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  4. Bartl, Andreas. "Leuchttürme: Neuland und Hohe Weg – briefmarken-archiv.de". briefmarken-archiv.de (in German). Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
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