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 (Nordsee) and the other facing northeast on the Baltic Sea (Ostsee, East Sea in German). 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. Germany is a federation of 16 member states called Bundesländer, and the states are divided into districts (Kreise). This page lists lighthouses of the Baltic coast from Flensburg at the Danish border southeastward to Lübeck. This area comprises all of the eastern coast of the state of Schleswig-Holstein. Lighthouses of the west coast of the state are described on the North Frisia page. The 19th-century history of Schleswig-Holstein is also complex. From 1815 to 1864 the Duchy of Schleswig (including the coast north of Kiel) was under Danish control, and the Duchy of Holstein (Kiel and southeastward) shared its sovereign with Denmark but was also a member of the German Confederation. The two duchies were combined as a single province of Prussia in 1866 and thus entered the German Empire when it was formed in 1871. As a result of this history several of the light stations in the region were established by Denmark, and one Danish lighthouse survives, at Marienleuchte on the island of Fehmarn. 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. Modern range lighthouses are crowned by a topmark: a large, distinctive structure that serves to mark the range clearly in the daytime. In German Insel is an island, Riff is a reef, Kap is a cape, Bucht is a bay, and Hafen is a harbor. Lighthouses in Germany are operated by the regional maritime authority, called the WSA (Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsamt). Recently the two WSA's for the Baltic coast, WSA Lübeck and WSA Stralsund, have been merged to form the WSA Ostsee. Two lighthouses at the northern entrance to the Kiel Canal (Nord-Ostsee Kanal) are operated by WSA Nord-Ostsee Kanal, which operates the canal and other northern inland waterways. 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 C of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from NGA Publication 116.
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Schleswig - Flensburg District Lighthouses
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Rendsburg - Eckernförde District Lighthouses
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Kiel City Lighthouses
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Plön District Lighthouses
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Ostholstein (East Holstein) District Lighthouses
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Hansestadt Lübeck Lighthouses
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Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses: |
Adjoining pages: North: Southeast Jylland | Northeast: Sjælland | East: Mecklenburg
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Posted April 9, 2005. Checked and revised May 10, 2024. Lighthouses: 38; lightships: 3. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.