The lighthouse built on a strike

The Amrum Lighthouse rises from a 25-metre high dune, a red and white sentinel against the North Sea. It was the first German lighthouse erected in Nordfriesland, sparked into existence by an 1868 newspaper article in the Hamburger Zeitung. That piece detailed the loss of three vessels and ignited a debate among experts about where to build a lighthouse in the area.

Construction began in 1873, but the project soon turned into an obstacle course for all those involved. Work ground to a halt after only five weeks because the granite stones intended for the spiral stairs were missing. When the shipment finally arrived, the workers refused to move. They went on strike, refusing to work on the "dull" island. The project only advanced when the remaining workers and auxiliary hands were able to finish the brick building by November 1874.

Inside the lantern sits a first order Fresnel lens, a piece of glass and metal that had been displayed at the Paris Exposition in 1867. It was installed alongside an Argand lamp with five wicks, casting its first beam on 1 January 1875. The light character is a single flashing light with a 7.5-second interval. To maintain the operation, a dwelling house was built below the dune to host three lighthouse keepers.

The optic, standing 2.7 metres tall and weighing 2.9 tonnes, is extremely precious. A ball-bearing carrying the entire optic lasted from 1875 until 1993. The lighthouse was electrified in 1936 and finally became automated in 1984, when the last keeper left the facility.

Today, the optic remains a piece of industrial heritage estimated to be valued at five million Euro. Visitors can visit the lighthouse, which is open to the public during the summer season. The light still reaches a range of 23.3 nautical miles.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons