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.
The structure was built in 1855 and originally used a petroleum lamp as its light source, which was a major advance in maritime technology at that time. Since 1977 it has operated fully automatically without keepers living on site.
The black and white markings follow the traditional identification system that helps ships recognize this location from the sea. Visitors can see these colors from far away and understand how the design guides maritime traffic.
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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