Kampen lighthouse, Coastal navigation lighthouse in Kampen, Sylt, Germany
The Kampen lighthouse is a coastal navigation beacon on the west coast of Sylt island along the German North Sea. The stone tower with white conical shape and broad black band stands 40 meters tall and marks the shoreline for maritime traffic.
King Frederick VII of Denmark ordered the lighthouse built in 1853 on Sylt's highest point, the Red Cliff; its light first shone on 1 March 1856. The original petroleum lamp had been shown at the 1855 Paris World Exhibition. The tower was reinforced with iron rings in 1875 and converted to electric operation in 1929. Since 1977 it has been remotely controlled without keepers.
The tower's black-and-white daymark dates from 1953; before that it kept the grey-yellow tone of its weathered Bornholm bricks. Its nickname "Langer Christian" is still used locally, and the black-and-white shape has long made it a subject for painters such as Ole West and Hans Nordmann.
The area around the lighthouse is accessible via the west coast of Sylt and offers views of the North Sea. Visitors should note that the coast experiences erosion and coastal paths can vary depending on the season and weather conditions.
The light beam reaches an effective height of 62 meters above sea level even though the tower itself measures only 40 meters. This additional height comes from its elevated position on Sylt's geestland, which extends the reach of the light signal.
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