Morten Hahn-Pedersen
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Morten Hahn-Pedersen REPORTS ON BALTIC LIGHTS – DENMARK INTRODUCTION – THE HISTORY OF DANISH stations in Danish waters. The Danish lightship fleet LIGHTHOUSES AND LIGHTSHIPS was at its hight in the 1920’s and 1930’s. In 1927 14 ships were on station, while 3 were held in reserve. The establishment of lighthouses to increase safety at The transition from terrestrial and astronomical to sea along Denmark’s coasts started in 1560 when the electronic navigation systems led to a rapid reduction Danish king Frederik II ordered the erection of bascule of the Danish lightship fleet from the 1970’s onwards lights at Skagen, Anholt and Kullen to mark the main and in 1988 the last Danish lightship – the Møn SE route through Danish waters from the North Sea to – was withdrawn. the Baltic. In 1747 the first “real” Danish lighthouse was built at Skagen, but it was not until the 1800s that THE PRESERVATION OF DANISH there were advances in lighthouses in Denmark in the LIGHTHOUSES AND LIGHTSHIPS form of technical improvements and the establishment of a number of new lighthouses both along the old Speaking in general terms all the Danish lighthouses main route and also in the Great Belt. and lightships were originally owned by the Lights With an increase in the number of lighthouses and Buoys Service, the only exceptions being some under the Danish Lights and Buoys Service from 39 of the harbour lights. When technical development to 185, the period from around 1870 until 1930 was reduced the need for lights, the Lights and Buoys the golden age of lighthouse building in Denmark. Service naturally wanted to sell off the lightships Until 1870 almost all the lights under the Danish and lighthouses no longer in use. This raised the Lights and Buoys Service were approach lights erected question of how to preserve a representative body of with the purpose of helping ships to keep clear of the this important element in Danish maritime history coast and dangerous banks. In the following period and coastal environment? some approach lights were built but the main part of the new lights were guiding lights and angled lights intended to help ships to navigate through narrow shipping lanes and into harbours. By the turn of the millennium the Danish Lights and Buoys Service had altogether 197 lights 88 of which were erected Skagen Source: Danske fyranlæg 1750-1950 before 1950. Out of these 88 lights 28 were approach Forst and Nature Agency 2001 lights, 15 guiding lights and 45 angled lights. Due to Lighthouses the development in satellite navigation the number of Lightship lights is expected to decrease dramatically in the years Hanstholm to come. Lodbjerg Technical development has already put an end Anholt to the history of Danish lightships. The idea of Grisetåodde lightships were discussed for a long time before the Lightship XXI first Danish lightship was stationed at Læsø Trindel Nakkehoved in Kattegat in 1829. It was the firm belief that the Kronborg sea ice associated with the Danish winter made it Lightship XVII Blåvandshuk impossible for lightships to stay in position. However, Motorised Lightship I Trekroner Esbjerg the experience gained from this first lightship in Sprogø Bågø Stevns present Danish territorial waters showed results far Korsør better than expected and this method of marking the Ore Christiansø sea routes became more and more widespread as the Gammel Pøl Orehoved increasing amount of international shipping in Danish Keldsnor waters revealed the need for it. All in all, the Danish Lights and Buoys Service commissioned 25 lightships, Map showing the preserved lightships and lighthouses in which over the years have seen service at some 20 Denmark. 81 The Grey Lighthouse at Skagen – switched on in 1858. Photo The Fisheries and Maritime Museum, Esbjerg. Some of the Danish lighthouse complexes were light architecture, building periods between 1746 and already preserved as monuments of cultural heritage, 1914, different light techniques and the three main but in order to get a representative sample the National types of light purposes. Forest and Nature Agency – who was the organisation In short, today Denmark has a wealth of preserved responsible for this kind of preservation in Denmark lighthouses and lightships. Good examples are: The – in 1999/20 01 reported on the Danish Lights and on first brick lighthouse in Denmark that was designed this basis a number of lighthouses were preserved. In and built by the naval architect Philip de Lange at 2002 public management of preserved constructions Skagen in 1746-48 – owned by the Lights and Buoys in Denmark was transferred to the newly formed Service. The Grey Lighthouse complex at Skagen, National Cultural Heritage Agency. which was switched on in 1858. This complex is On the map you will get an overview of the 23 owned by the Lights and Buoys Service as well. The lighthouses and lighthouse complex es in Denmark lighthouses at Nakkehoved on North Sealand which are that have been preserved as monuments of cultural owned by the local authorities and run by the museum heritage. These complexes are marked with red spots in Gilleleje. And finally Motorised Lightship No. I while the green spots mark the three Danish lightships in Esbjerg which is owned and run by the Lightship that are preserved as museum ships in Copenhagen, Foundation in cooperation with the Fisheries and Ebeltoft and Esbjerg. The protection of the lightships Maritime Museum. was initiated by maritime museums or organisations in Beside these more or less publicly owned and cooperation with museums. preserved lights, Denmark is bursting with examples To the lighthouses and lightships you can add 11 of private preservation of lighthouses with no official wooden beacons along the west coast of Jutland that preservation declaration. A fine example is the have also been preserved and protected by the National lighthouse complex on the small island of Æbelø Forest and Nature Agency. Put together the preserved northwest of Funen. The entire island including and protected lighthouse complexe s, lighthouses, the light complex is owned by the Aage V. Jensen lightships and beacons represent the variety of Danish Foundation who uses the locality as a meeting place 82 The first brick lighthouse in Denmark – designed and built by the Motorised Lightship No. I – built 1913/14 at Rasmus Møller’s naval architect Philip de Lange at Skagen in 1746-48. Photo The Shipyard in Faaborg – is now preserved as a museum lightship in Fisheries and Maritime Museum, Esbjerg. Esbjerg. Photo The Fisheries and Maritime Museum, Esbjerg. for researchers. A fair example of alternative use of protected as cultural heritage monument. This is one of a former lightship is Lightship No. XVIII owned by the challenges for the future work on the preservation the Tvind Schools and converted into a three masted of lighthouses and lightships in Denmark. Another schooner named Den store Bjørn. challenge is to preserve a representative portion of the To some of you this may sound like a story from 20th century lights and to find out whether it will be the sunny side of the street, but Denmark has some possible to preserve and secure the total system of very bad and even horrible examples as well on how lights around a harbour in order to be able to show lighthouses and lightships are treated when sold off future generations the complexity of such systems. from the Lights and Buoys Service. The lightships no. The last and perhaps greatest challenge is to provide X, XV and Motorised Lightship no. II were converted the economy needed to keep the lighthouses and into floating restaurants by private owners who all went lightships preserved as monuments of cultural herit- bankrupt trying to make a living this way. However the age. Today the rather expensive keeping of such monu- prize for horror goes to lightship no. XIII that has been ments rests entirely on the owner. As long as the owner converted into a house boat which makes you think of is the Lights and Buoys Service, local authorities or a floating shoe box rather than a former lightship. museums this challenge may be overcome, but we do When it comes to lighthouses there are examples such need to develop a system on how to create a solid basis as Møn and Sletterhage where some of the buildings for the future maintenance of cultural heritage monu- have been sold off and rebuilt or renovated by the new ments should they be sold off to private persons or owners in a way that does not fit very well with the organisations. overall architectural design of the entire complex. However, none of these examples are preserved or protected lights, but in order to avoid such disasters, the National Cultural Heritage Agency are now work- ing on how to regulate future changes on buildings that belong to a complex where the lighthouse/tower is 83.