Facing the expanse of the sea

The Obereversand lighthouse monument on the North Sea coast in Lower Saxony attracts large numbers of visitors. The naval officer Thomas Bahr looks after the structure, together with other volunteers. 

Mr Bahr, you give visitors the opportunity to visit the historic Obereversand lighthouse. What is it that makes lighthouses so fascinating? 

A lighthouse offers unparalleled views of the play of waves and far-off horizons. In addition to this, hardly any changes were made to our Obereversand lighthouse since it was first built in 1887, giving our guests a good idea of the original living and working quarters of the lighthouse keepers. 

Where are the people from, who come to visit the lighthouse? 

In addition to our German visitors we regularly have guests from abroad, and some of them are even members of our friends’ association. The lighthouse is also an outpost of the local registry office, so it can be used for weddings, and there is very strong demand for that. We are also involved in international networks and a founding member of the European Route of Lighthouses. This is a network of people who are responsible for lighthouses in twelve European states, from Ireland to Estonia to Norway to Portugal. 

The Obereversand lighthouse is no longer used as a navigation aid for ships. Do we even still need lighthouses for ship navigation nowadays? 

GPS, electronic sea maps and radar systems have transformed navigation fundamentally. However, many lighthouses still serve an important purpose as points of orientation and additional safeguards in navigation, in particular in the event that technology fails or visibility is poor. A board member of the English Trinity House Lighthouse Authority has explained this very well by saying that when you are driving you are also glad to have road signs in addition to the satnav.