Maritime landmark: Fight for the Roter Sand lighthouse +++ Update: the petition has reached the required number of votes! +++
Ursula Meer
· 17.10.2025
The Roter Sand lighthouse, a striking landmark in the Outer Weser for more than 140 years, is at the centre of a controversial debate about its future. Built in 1885 as the world's first offshore structure, the red and white striped lighthouse embodies an important piece of German engineering and maritime history. For generations of emigrants it was the last greeting from home, for returning seafarers the first welcome sign. After it was decommissioned in 1964, the lighthouse, located around 30 nautical miles north of Bremerhaven, became a popular destination for excursions - at times, visitors could even spend the night in its historic rooms. But now the 53-metre-high, 70-tonne structure is threatened with decay and two opposing concepts for saving it are facing each other.
Two visions for the future
The German Foundation for Monument Protection (DSD), owner of the lighthouse since 1987The foundation sees an acute risk of collapse and is therefore planning to cut off the upper, culturally valuable segment of the tower and move it to land. Following comprehensive expert reports, the foundation came to the conclusion that permanent preservation on site is not realistic. The reasons cited were structural defects, material fatigue and the increasing stress caused by climate change. The considerable contamination of the exterior paint with PCBs and lead also makes the necessary corrosion protection work more difficult. The historic plinth - the so-called caisson, a steel shell filled with concrete and masonry - would have to remain in its original location for technical reasons in the event of a move.
The Friends of the Roter Sand Lighthouse e.V.. vehemently disagrees with this assessment and is fighting to preserve the tower in its original location. The association questions the results of the DSD reports and criticises an alleged maintenance backlog: nothing has been done to preserve the tower for years - no painting, no steel repairs. This neglect is the real cause of the current need for renovation. The association is convinced that an on-site renovation with modern construction site equipment, such as a lifting and assembly vessel, could be carried out more carefully and cost-effectively than relocation.
Petition as a political instrument
To emphasise their concerns, the association supports a petitionwhich was initiated by a lawyer from Bremerhaven. It is aimed at the Lower Saxony state parliament and pursues two central goals: the preservation of the lighthouse at its original location and its inclusion in the German list of proposals for the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The petition will run from 8 September to 20 October 2025 and requires 5,000 online signatures to be considered by the state parliament. This step will elevate the decision-making process from the level of technical expert opinions to the political level.
+++ Update: Goal achieved! +++
The target was reached yesterday (16 October 2025): 5,160 friends of the maritime landmark have signed the petition so far. 5,000 votes were required. The Lower Saxony state parliament must now deal with the petition. The petition reads: "The state parliament should therefore instruct the Ministry of Science and Culture not to authorise the separation and relocation of the lighthouse but, on the contrary, to have it placed on the German World Heritage List. This would make it the fourth World Heritage Site for Lower Saxony."
There are ten Criteria for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Among other things, a site must "represent a masterpiece of human creativity" and/or "demonstrate a significant intersection of human values in terms of the development of architecture or technology, large-scale sculpture, urban planning or landscape design for a period of time or in a cultural area of the world". In principle, all World Heritage Sites in Germany are under special protection due to their exceptional universal value for humanity. Recognition as a World Heritage Site is primarily a mandate to ensure the long-term preservation of the site, its sustainable management and its communication to the public.
If the world's first offshore structure is granted protected status, a decision will have to be made on how to proceed with its rescue afterwards.
Search for new location underway
Before the petition was launched, the search for a suitable new location for the lighthouse was already underway. Four coastal towns got wind of the possible move and applied to be a new home port for the "Roter Sand": Bremerhaven and Fedderwardersiel on the Weser, Hooksiel and Wilhelmshaven on the neighbouring Jade. An initial location proposal from Bremerhaven was rejected by the Weser-Jade-Nordsee Waterways and Shipping Authority (WSA), as the red and white colour of the lighthouse could lead to confusion with the leading lights and irritate shipping traffic. Approval would only have been possible if the paintwork had been changed significantly - to ash grey, for example - which in turn would have contradicted the requirements of the monument protection authorities. The city seemed to be out of the running, but has since come back into the game with a new proposal.
Fedderwardersiel scores particularly well with its proximity to its original position in the Outer Weser and the maritime atmosphere of an authentic shrimp cutter harbour. In a recent survey by the Nordsee-Zeitung newspaper, the town emerged as the public's favourite. Hooksiel advertises itself as a location that is not only conveniently located in terms of transport, but also offers a view of the sea. Mayor Mario Szlezak sees a special quality in the town's position on the same longitude as the original location. Wilhelmshaven brings its infrastructure and experience with maritime cultural projects into play.
Cultural debate about the maritime landmark
The discussions surrounding the historic lighthouse reflect a fundamental conflict between two monument protection philosophies. The DSD favours a risk-minimising solution to save the physical structure at all costs - even if this means removing it from its historic location.
The support association, on the other hand, has campaigned for its preservation with a great deal of voluntary commitment since it was decommissioned. It emphasises that the value of the lighthouse is inextricably linked to its location. As the first offshore structure in the world, it would lose its authenticity if it were moved and would be degraded from a living monument to a museum exhibit. The association is particularly critical of the fact that the caisson - the actual technical pioneering work - would have to remain at its original location.
Long rescue story
This is not the first time that the Roter Sand lighthouse has had to be saved. After it was decommissioned in 1964, it was initially left to decay as the responsible authorities refused to save it. This triggered a massive wave of protest among the local population, which led to the founding of the Friends' Association. The civic commitment was successful: in 1987, a new steel sleeve was placed over the foundations in a spectacular operation to restore its stability. The tower was then transferred into the ownership of the German Foundation for Monument Protection, which in the same year established the fiduciary foundation Roter Sand Lighthouse for permanent maintenance.
While the debate continues, the future of the Roter Sand lighthouse remains uncertain. Should the relocation actually take place, it is likely to be one of the most complex maritime salvage operations ever undertaken on the German North Sea coast. The use of specialised cranes and floating heavy-duty platforms would require favourable weather and tidal conditions.
