Jo van der Eynden

NEW USES FOR OLD LIGHTHOUSES

INTRODUCTION fairways and safe harbours have served the mariners at all times. The introduction of navigation aids I have been given the difficult challenge of replacing like the compass (14th century), the sextant (18th my good friend and colleague, Mr. Danckert Monrad- century) and the chronometer (18/19th century), Krohn, on presenting this paper on preservation and along with the development of maritime cartography, alternative use of lighthouses. I am sure that anyone are classical and crucial achievements in the history here that may be only vaguely interested in this issue of navigation. has probably heard of Mr. Monrad-Krohn and his At the same time man-made aids to navigation like enthusiastic work for the preservation of lighthouses cairns, beacons, lighthouses and other seamarks have in different international contexts. You may even have been erected onshore and offshore to guide ships and received a copy of his national preservation plan for the protect people and cargo. Norwegian lighthouses, presented by the Norwegian Indeed, the lighthouse history of the world goes Directorate of Cultural Heritage in 1997. back at least 2 500 years. Today there are said to be I have had the pleasure of working professionally about 60 000 lighthouses in operation worldwide, or with Mr. Monrad-Krohn on this topic for the last 12 about 400 000 maritime light signals, if every beacon years, and even before that I had some experience of and bulb is counted. trying to preserve and make sensible use of a concrete A lighthouse is of course: a house with a light, lighthouse-station outside Kristiansand – my home- erected to function as an aid to maritime navigation. town on the south coast of Norway. Through the inter- But it is common to distinguish between the smaller, national engagement of the Norwegian Directorate of automatic beacons and the more substantial structures Cultural Heritage, I have had the privilege of working of a lighthouse, built as manned stations where with different aspects of lighthouse preservation in lighthouse keepers have resided with or without their Estonia and Tanzania. I have also been engaged in the families. valuable work done by the International Association of In a way, every single lighthouse in the world is Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) through the commit- part of the same navigational structure that surrounds tee for Preservation of Historic Lighthouses (PHL). the globe, connecting all coastal nations, both day and Presently, my main engagement is working with the night. This global system of traffic lights represents an establishment of a national lighthouse museum in important part of our international maritime heritage, Norway. and even the architecture and the technology of In this presentation, I will try to put forward lighthouses is to some extent international. But we can some of the main challenges we (or more correctly also find distinct local variations on the theme. the lighthouses) are facing, as a consequence of the Lighthouse architecture is often spectacular, and development in modern navigational technology. I will many of the lighthouses are built on spectacular try to give some examples of how these challenges locations, making them an important part of the are met in Norway and other countries. Finally I will coastal and maritime landscape. In many communities, present some guidelines for the further work with the lighthouse is the most important symbol of local the preservation and alternative use of lighthouses in identity. general. For most people, a lighthouse is mainly seen But first of all I must say something about what as a tower with a light. And indeed it is easy to be a lighthouse is, what they represent and symbolise and impressed by the tall towers and the huge lenses. But why they constitute such an important part of our at the same time it is important to keep in mind that maritime history. a lighthouse station is a complex technical structure, with foghorns, radio beacons, power-units, work- THE IMPORTANCE OF LIGHTHOUSES shops, landings, housing facilities, gardens and not least its social and cultural history. To understand and Sailors have always needed help to find their way preserve historic lighthouses, it is not enough to keep across open waters and along distant shores. Local the tower standing. pilots with the knowledge of sailing routes, coastal

173 CHALLENGES history and heritage. The fact that IALA (International Association of Lighthouse Authorities) has put the The development of modern aids to navigation such preservation of historic lighthouses on the international as the satellite positioning system (GPS) has to some agenda further proves this point. extent changed the importance of lighthouses for the In some countries the heritage authorities have also mariner. We have already seen that some navigation focused on the importance of protecting lighthouses lights have been shut down due to changing demands, as historic monuments, and I am proud to say that the but still most of the lanterns are lit as a safeguard Norwegian Directorate of Cultural Heritage was one against possible breakdown of electronic equipment of the first to present a national preservation plan for onboard. lighthouses (1997). As a consequence of this, Norway Nevertheless the lighthouses no longer need daily has also taken part in a few international projects, but tending to function. Automation and long distance it seems that there is still much to gain from interna- monitoring has made man superfluous. Or has it? tional cooperation in the field of conservation and The extreme locations and weather conditions at protection of lighthouses. the stations, leads to rapid decay without the daily care of the keepers. This development therefore represents ALTERNATIVE USE a great challenge for the preservation of historic lighthouses. And the challenge is global. Not all lighthouses could or should be preserved as The question is what actions can be taken to make historic monuments. Before even starting a discussion preservation possible? And who is willing to take on preservation by alternative use on a national level, responsibility? a complete survey should be made. This seems to me to be the only way of defining which lighthouses PUBLIC INTEREST AND CONCERN should be protected and which should not. In most cases, the protection of a lighthouse will Obviously the lighthouse authorities must have also involve some kind of alternative use. Although it a responsibility to take care of their own heritage. In is important to emphasise that this does not apply to most countries, the lighthouse administration is a state all lighthouses worthy of preservation. body, and as a rule lighthouses have been built by The expression “alternative use” already implies public means and are looked upon as public buildings. that this is not the use the construction was built for. At the same time the main reason for de-staffing of In most cases a new use will require some alterations lighthouses has been the need to cut costs. for practical convenience, economic or safety reasons. Therefore it is not hard to understand that light- Obviously one of the main questions will be to establish house authorities in many countries have advocated what can be done without harming the lighthouse as the sale of redundant properties. In some cases this of a cultural monument. What can it tolerate without course can help to protect and preserve important his- losing its value? toric buildings, but often it also means that the public In my mind new use of historic lighthouses should access to the site will be limited. aim to fulfil these major considerations: I think it is important to stress the fact that light- houses are seen as public buildings, and that lighthouse • The use should fit into the lighthouse (as is) and history belongs to the public. In this sense the major not require major alterations to the construction historic lighthouses should be kept in public owner- or lead to the removal of equipment vital to the ship to ensure public access to their heritage. understanding of its original function And indeed there seems to be an overwhelming • The use should take into consideration an obliga- public interest in lighthouses and lighthouse history tion for public education and enjoyment in many parts of the world. Many lighthouses have • The use should generate means for maintenance their own local organisation of friends, national and protection of the station lighthouse societies have been founded in many • The use should be integrated in the local commu- countries and recently we have seen the birth of the nity where this is a reasonable option “World Lighthouse Society”. • The use should be established on a long term basis Books are published, newspaper articles and to secure sustainability television programmes are numerous. A lighthouse- search on the Internet gives overwhelming results and I have mentioned that lighthouses belong to many lighthouses have become important tourist a common global technological structure. At the same attractions. time, no two lighthouses are alike. The possibilities This new and broad public attention has put heavy and limitations have to be analysed carefully, based on pressure on the lighthouse authorities with strong the site, accessibility and local stakeholders. demands for both preservation and public access. In Britain, Trinity House has developed their own I think it is also fair to say that in many countries planning tools for the protection and management this attention has led the maritime authorities to of their lighthouse estates. By letting every station acknowledge a greater responsibility for their own undergo a systematic survey, plans are made for

174 Lindesnes, Norway. Photo Thor Ivar Hansen. conservation, alternative use, possible co-operation between 4 institutions along the coast (south, south- with other (local) stakeholders as well as a business west, mid-west and north). These institutions will plan. The overall aim is to open up the lighthouses for have an obligation, and hopefully some money, to public education and enjoyment, often in the form of support local lighthouse protection projects within Visitor Centres or Holiday Cottages. their geographical area. Inspired by the successful results in Britain, a The core of this network will be at Lindesnes, project has now been launched in Norway involving Norway’s oldest lighthouse station, established in the Coastal Directorate and five County Councils 1655 by privilege of the Danish king. This lighthouse on the south-west coast (SAVOS). The aim of the is situated at the southernmost tip of the Norwegian project is to pick out at least one protected lighthouse mainland, and long before the lighthouse was erected, in every county, where the regional authorities take it was the most important landfall for all ships sailing responsibility for the protection and alternative use of from the North Sea, through Skagerrak to the Baltic. the station. This maritime trade route has been one of the More in the line of small-scale eco-tourism is the most important in northern Europe (as other speak- Norwegian project called KYSTLEDEN (coastal fair- ers have pointed out) and it has had a great impact way). Its inspiration comes from the time of oars and on the development of coastal culture on the south sail, when guesthouses where still available for travel- coast of Norway. Therefore it was only proper that lers in small boats along the coast. The idea is to make the County Council of Vest-Agder chose Lindesnes it possible for tourists to rent traditional boats for row- Lighthouse as their “Millennium Site” in 2000. This ing and sailing and to spend the night at lighthouses lucky choice means that there will be both governmen- and other redundant buildings. The project is run tal and regional funding for the further development by idealistic organisations as the Norwegian Tourist of Lindesnes as a museum and tourist attraction. Organisation (hikers) and KYSTEN (coastal heritage). Already about 70 000 people come to Lindesnes At some of the lighthouses there is a hosting family every year. The project has an income of about 200 who are allowed to stay there for free to keep the facili- 000 Euros. It is therefore a relatively safe place to make ties open for the public. a museum. Our main challenge is to serve all the visi- Recently the Norwegian Lighthouse authorities tors in such a way that they are both enlightened and themselves have also introduced a plan for the pleased, and without ruining the unique impression alternative use of some lighthouse stations, namely as of the landscape and the authentic lighthouse station. holiday homes for employees, representation and bases It has therefore been decided that the new museum for their new mobile maintenance teams. facilities will be dug into the rock underneath the And then there is the Norwegian Lighthouse lighthouse itself. Museum. It will be organised as a national network

175 CONCLUSIONS public ownership to secure public access to the cultural heritage. As I have mentioned, the International Association of 3. Lighthouse stations should remain intact as a single Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) hosted a workshop entity. on “Preservation of lighthouses by alternative use” in 4. Alternative use should emphasise the lighthouse Norway, 2000. 56 participants from 20 different coun- as an object of maritime cultural heritage for tries attended this workshop, representing national educational benefit and public enjoyment. members of IALA, Heritage Authorities, Lighthouse 5. Strategic plans should be produced nationally for Societies, the Tourism Industry and environmental the long-term management of historic lighthouse bodies. stations, under international guidelines. The outcome of the workshop was put down in 6. Alternative use should provide sufficient financial eight conclusive points, which I still feel sums up the support for preservation. main points to make on the topic of “new use of old 7. Partnerships should be encouraged with heritage lighthouses”: authorities, conservation bodies and other stake- 1. Historic lighthouses are public assets and should holders. be preserved. 8. Any commercial development should be sensitive 2. Historic lighthouse stations should be kept in to the local character and landscape.

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