Lighthouses - Germany / Federal Republic of Germany 2010 - 45 Euro Cent

In wind and weather, day and night, they have been reliable signposts for shipping on the German coast for over 800 years. From the Jade Bay in the west on the North Sea coast to Usedom on the easternmost section of the German Baltic Sea coast are about 200 beacon buildings. For up to 50 kilometers, the signals of the partly mighty towers radiate out to sea. But there are also small systems with less radiance of the signal. Each beacon is recorded on the nautical charts with a specific light signal sequence, which makes it unmistakable and enables orientation in conjunction with other beacons. The special stamp series "Lighthouses" draws attention to the diversity of German lighthouses. The two current editions show the lighthouse Neuwerk or Falshöft. Neuwerk: At the instigation of the Hanseatic city of Hamburg in 1299 began the construction of the lighthouse Neuwerk. The unusually massive defense tower with meter-thick walls was completed in 1320 on the island Neuwerk near the Elbe estuary and was to protect the boatmen from the then infamous Scharhörnriff. But the military use of the plant to protect the Elbe estuary from sea and beach robbers was obvious. About 500 years ago, the first lamp fire made in Germany was put into operation on the tower. In the 19th century, the precision mechanic Johann Georg Repsold (1770-1830) built a fire from 21 circularly arranged parabolic mirrors under the copper dome roof designed by him, each with a bowl of rapeseed oil in the middle. On December 20, 1814, the bundled light shone in the sky over the Elbe estuary for the first time. Today, the Neuwerk lighthouse burns a halogen incandescent lamp with 600 watts of electrical power and a range of 15.4 nautical miles or 28.5 kilometers. In the massive walls that have been listed since 1924, you can also spend the night for several years.