Roter Sand is a lighthouse in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

, in the

Weser The Weser () is a river of Lower Saxony in north-west Germany. It begins at Hannoversch Münden through the confluence of the Werra and Fulda. It passes through the Hanseatic city of Bremen. Its mouth is further north against the ports o ...

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...

. It entered service in 1885. The light was deactivated in 1986 but the tower still serves as a

day beacon A day beacon (sometimes ''daybeacon'') is an unlighted nautical sea mark. A signboard identifying it is called a '' day mark''. Day beacons typically mark channels whose key points are marked by lighted buoys. They may also mark smaller navigab ...

. Roter Sand Lighthouse was the first building ever to be erected directly on the

sea floor The seabed (also known as the seafloor, sea floor, ocean floor, and ocean bottom) is the bottom of the ocean. All floors of the ocean are known as seabeds. The structure of the seabed of the global ocean is governed by plate tectonics. Most of ...

. It became a symbol of technical progress in the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

and is still one of the most famous lighthouses in Germany. On 31 October 2010, it was awarded the title of Historical Landmark of Civil Engineering in Germany.

Description

Including the foundation, Roter Sand Lighthouse is tall. At

low tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables c ...

, it measures above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

. Its focal height is above mean high tide, while the tower as such is tall. RoterSand2005-1

The foundation is cylindrical and protrudes from the sea at low tide. The tower above is conical. It is painted with red and white bands above a black base. The order of colours is white-red-white-red-white whereby the coloured section also marks the five floors inside the tower. The entrance is located at the lower rim of the lowest white band. The basement serves as a storage. A stairway leads from there to the sleeping room. Further up is the kitchen with a coal-heated oven, and a living and service room. The latter has three

oriel window An oriel window is a form of bay window which protrudes from the main wall of a building but does not reach to the ground. Supported by corbels, bracket (architecture), brackets, or similar cantilevers, an oriel window generally projects from an ...

s, two of which have the same height as the room itself while the third one leads even higher. The oriels used to host minor lights and point towards North-west, South and North-east. From the service room, a balcony around the lantern can be reached via a stairway. However, it is not possible to walk all around the lantern because the higher oriel window blocks one part of the balcony. During the 1940s, the rooms used to be different with the inside of the black sector being accessible as storage. At the entrance level, there used to be the equipment for the generation of electrical power.

Tourism

Day trips to the lighthouse, from Bremerhaven via the vessel ''Lev Taifun'', can be taken in June, July, and August. Staying overnight is also possible. On 1 October 2010, the structure was awarded the title "Historical Monument of Engineering in Germany" (''Historisches Wahrzeichen der Ingenieurbaukunst in Deutschland'') by the Federal Chamber of Engineers.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Lighthouses completed in 1885 Lighthouses in Lower Saxony North Sea

Description

Tourism

See also

References

External links