Skagen, Tanska / Denmark

Skagen Lighthouse

Latitude: 57 Deg 43.3 Min N
Longitude: 10 Deg 36.5 Min E
Height of tower: 46 meters
Character: F W
Range: 23 M



The successor of the “White Lighthouse”, with a better location, is the “Grey Lighthouse” who’s official name was just Skagen Light. The architect Professor Niels Sigfred Nelbong (1806 – 1871) was responsible for the way this tower looks. He was a well-known builder of lighthouses, and we can thank him for some of the prettiest Danish lighthouses like Sejeroe, Vesborg, Roesnaes, Hjelm, Hirtshals und Hesseloe and also one of the most ugly, like Romsoe.



He started to design the tower in 1851. The building work itself started in 1854 and took 4 years, which was because the building materials had to be transported by land to Skagen, because there was no harbour yet. On the 1st of November 1858 the tower was first lit. It has the name of King Fredrik VII in the wall. The first years the tower had a fixed light, until a rotating lighting apparatus replaced it in 1905. With a height of 46 meters it was Denmark’s highest tower until 1962. On the bottom the diameter of the tower is 9 m and at the top 6 meters. There are 210 steps to the gallery. The tower is open to the public and you have a great view over the towns of Grenen and Skagen. Together with its predecessor, the white tower, the grey tower forms a nice scene.



The information for all three of these great lights largely comes from a book called “Danmarks Fyrtårne og fyrskibe” by Ove Hermansen and we are grateful to Iris for the help in translating the Danish text.

Via www.lighthouse-duo.net