The Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesrepublik Deutschland in German) occupies a central location in northern Europe with two coastlines, one facing northwest on the North Sea and the other facing northeast on the Baltic Sea. The country's history is long and complex. The large number of historically independent German regions came together in 1871 to form the German Empire. The Empire became a republic after World War I (1914-18). After World War II (1939-45) Germany was divided into two countries, the German Federal Republic in the west, usually called West Germany, and the Communist-led German Democratic Republic in the east, usually called East Germany. After the Communist government collapsed the Federal Republic reunified the nation in October 1990. The Federal Republic is a federation of sixteen states (Länder) and the states are divided into districts (Kreise). Bremen, on the estuary of the Weser River, is one of Germany's historic North Sea ports. Bremen was one of the members of the Hanseatic League, which dominated trade in northern Europe from roughly the 13th through the 17th centuries. Today the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (Freie Hansestadt Bremen), one of the states of the Federal Republic, includes the two cities of Bremen and Bremerhaven but not the territory between them: that area is part of the state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen). This page describes lighthouses of Bremen and the Weser estuary between Bremen and the deeper water port of Bremerhaven. Lights of Bremerhaven and the Außenweser (the approach to the Weser) are on a separate page. Of the active lighthouses listed on this page only the Mäuseturm (seen at right), the Gitterbake light, and the two Seehausen mole lights are in city of Bremen; all the rest are in the Wesermarsch or Osterholz districts of Lower Saxony. Interest in lighthouses is strong in Germany and most of the towers are in good condition. A federal law provides blanket protection to historic lighthouses. There is concern, however, that many of the lights may be deactivated in the coming years as navigators depend less and less on them. In German a lighthouse is a Leuchtturm ("light tower"), plural Leuchttürme. The front light of a range is the Unterfeuer and the rear light is the Oberfeuer. There are many modern range lighthouses and most of these towers are crowned by a topmark: a large, distinctive structure that serves to mark the range clearly in the daytime. Some topmarks are conical, others are funnel-shaped, and some consist of one or more gallery-like rings around the tower. The Nordenham Unterfeuer, shown at right, is a good example. In German Insel is an island, Riff is a reef, Kap is a cape, Bucht is a bay, Fluss is a river, Mündung is a river mouth or estuary, and Hafen is a harbor. The word Straße ("street") is also used for a waterway or strait. Lighthouses in Germany are operated by the regional harbor authority, called the WSA (Wasserstraßen- und Schiffahrtsamt). The lights on this page are maintained by WSA Weser-Jade-Nordsee. The WSA's are linked to and regulated by a federal agency, the Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes (WSV). ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. DE numbers are the German light list (Leuchtfeuerverzeichnis) numbers as noted on Erich Hartmann's website. Admiralty numbers are from volume B of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals.
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Eastern Wesermarsch District (Weser West Bank) Lighthouses
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Bremen City Lighthouses
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Osterholz District (Weser East Bank) Lighthouses
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Harriersand Oberfeuer, Harriersand, August 2013
Google maps photo by Salinos D. |
Southern Cuxhaven District Lighthouses
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Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining page: North: Bremerhaven | West: Borkum to Wilhelmshaven
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key
Posted February 26, 2005. Checked and revised December 31, 2023. Lighthouses: 37, lightships: 1. Site copyright 2023 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.