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Skagen Lighthouse (Danish: Skagen Fyr), also known as Skagen's Grey Lighthouse (Det Grå Fyr), is an active lighthouse 4 km (2.5 mi) northeast of Skagen in the far north of Jutland, Denmark. Designed by architect Niels Sigfred Nebelong, it was brought into operation on 1 November 1858.[2]

Skagen Lighthouse

Skagen Lighthouse
Location	Frederikshavn Municipality, Denmark
Coordinates	57.735550°N 10.630144°E / 57.735550; 10.630144
Tower
Constructed	1747 (first)
Construction	brick tower
Height	46 metres (151 ft)
Shape	tapered cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markings	unpainted tower, grey metallic lantern
Heritage	monument on Kulturstyrelsen register
Racon	G
Light
First lit	1858 (current)
Focal height	44 metres (144 ft)
Range	20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi)
Characteristic	Fl W 4s.
Denmark no.	DFL-0330[1]

Description

Skagen's first lighthouse, the White Lighthouse (Det Hvide Fyr), designed by Philip de Lange and completed in 1747, was the first lighthouse in Denmark to be built in brick.[3] The Skagen Lighthouse which replaced it consists of an unpainted round brick tower with a lantern and gallery, reaching a height of 151 ft (46 m). The two-storey keeper's house to which it is attached is painted bright yellow. When it was built it was more or less at the centre of the Skagen Odde peninsula, but as a result of coastal erosion, it is now very near the Kattegat coast to the southeast.[1]

The lighthouse has a two-ton rotating lens resting on mercury. Originally there was a five-wicked paraffin lamp which was successively replaced with a 1,000 Watt then a 1,500 Watt electric lamp. Today there is a 400 Watt sodium lamp which every four seconds can be seen up to 37 km (20 mi) away.[4]

Until 1952 Skagen Lighthouse was the country's tallest.[3] Dueodde Lighthouse on Bornholm is now just one meter higher.[4]

In 2017 the lighthouse was launched as a new international bird center Skagen Grey Lighthouse - Center for Migratory birds.[5] The center consist of an interactive exhibition and a working bird observatory -Skagen Bird Observatory.[6] Skagen and the Grenen area is known for its wide range of migrating birds, so the lighthouse is a perfect place for birdwatching.

Open to visitors

The lighthouse is open to visitors all year except on Christmas and New Year's Eve. Daily opening hours are 10 am to 4 pm in the winter season and until 6pm in the summertime[4]

See also

• List of lighthouses and lightvessels in Denmark

References

Literature

• Lønstrup, Jørn; Nielsen, Ingrid; Egnsmuseum, Skagen By- og (1997). Skagen - fyr og flamme: Det hvide Fyr og dets forgængere (in Danish). Skagen By- og Egnsmuseum. ISBN 978-87-88940-10-7.

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