Name and Location

Kampen Lighthouse, also known as Leuchtturm Kampen, stands atop the Rotes Kliff (Red Cliff) on Sylt island's western shore. The address is Brönshooger Weg 10, 25999 Kampen (Sylt), Nordfriesland, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

Construction and History

The lighthouse was built in 1855 as a mid-19th century sea beacon to mark the treacherous Sandgründe shoals off Sylt's western coast. It remains an active navigational aid for vessels in the German Bight and a popular viewpoint for visitors.

Architecture and Materials

The tower is a tapered cylindrical brick structure with an external stair turret, constructed using red brick masonry and cast-iron lantern room. The exterior is painted in deep red with a single white horizontal band at mid-height. The height of the tower is 38 meters, with a focal height of 62 meters above mean sea level.

Light and Navigation

The lighthouse emits a long-flashing (LFl) sequence of 3+7 flashes every 10 seconds, visible in white sectors for 20 nautical miles and red sectors for 16 nautical miles. The original first-order Fresnel lens was replaced by a modern rotating optic, still housed in the original lantern room.

Accessibility and Visiting

The lighthouse is open from mid-April to the end of October. Visitors can access the lantern gallery via a steep staircase of 270 steps, but it is not wheelchair accessible. The opening hours are typically daily from 10:00 to 18:00 UTC+1, with an admission fee of approximately 3 EUR.

Notable Views and Landscape

The view from the top includes a 360-degree panorama over Sylt's heathland, the Wadden Sea (UNESCO World Heritage Site), far-reaching North Sea horizon, and, on clear days, the Frisian coast of mainland Germany. Visitors can also explore the Rotes Kliff cliff path and the surrounding landscape.

Anecdotes and Folklore

According to local tradition, the lighthouse's beam once guided a doomed fishing cutter to shore on stormy nights, an event still commemorated in Sylt veterans' lore. Tales of former keepers' solitary winters in the tower also survive in oral history.

Technical and Operational Details

The lighthouse was automated in 1977 and is currently managed by Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsamt (WSA) Norderney, on behalf of the German Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration. Navigation charts include the German BSH chart reference B 1740 and international charts covering the German Bight.

Further Information

For more information, visit the Sylt tourism website at www.sylt.de/en or refer to "Die Leuchttürme Deutschlands" by Dieter Hartmann et al. (2005) for further reading.