The search for a new location for the historic Roter Sand lighthouse is entering a new phase. The most promising location is now Fedderwardersiel in the municipality of Butjadingen. This was announced by the German Foundation for Monument Protection (DSD) on Monday, 23 March 2026. The next step is to prepare the building permit applications. This process is complex. In addition, the specific date of the move depends on when funding is secured.
A total of four coastal towns had applied to receive the maritime monument: Bremerhaven, Fedderwardersiel, Wilhelmshaven and Hooksiel. After a thorough evaluation based on monument preservation, infrastructural and technical criteria, two locations remained that were basically eligible for approval: Fedderwardersiel and Wilhelmshaven.
Why Bremerhaven and Hooksiel were eliminated
Bremerhaven, actually predestined due to its historical connection to the lighthouse, dropped out of the race. The responsible waterway and nature conservation authorities came to the conclusion that it could not be authorised - in particular due to the risk of confusion with active navigation marks. The characteristic red and white colour of the lighthouse could mislead skippers. The Waterways and Shipping Authority expressed similar concerns for Hooksiel.
"The Roter Sand lighthouse is an outstanding maritime monument. That's why we absolutely want to secure this monument for future generations," explains Steffen Skudelny, CEO of the DSD. He sees advantages in moving the lighthouse: "The fact that the lighthouse will be more easily accessible at its new location will also allow numerous visitors to experience it up close in future and will ultimately also have enormous advantages for maintenance."
Petition for original location failed in state parliament
But not everyone shares this view. A petition to preserve the lighthouse at its original location collected more than 5,600 signatures in autumn 2025 - significantly more than the required 5,000 votes. However, in February 2026, the petitions committee of the Lower Saxony state parliament recommended that the request to preserve the lighthouse at its current location should not be granted. The reason given: The refurbishment and follow-up costs were unrealistically high.
The petition, initiated by a lawyer from Bremerhaven and supported by the Förderverein Leuchtturm Roter Sand e.V., had two central demands: preservation at the original location and inclusion in the German list of proposals for the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The association, which has been actively campaigning for preservation on site for decades, argued that renovation on site using modern technology would be possible and more favourable than relocation. In addition, the lighthouse would lose its authenticity as the world's first offshore structure as a result of the move.
Why the move is considered necessary
The decision to relocate it was not an easy one. The striking red and white striped tower has stood in the Outer Weser, around 30 nautical miles north of Bremerhaven, for over 140 years. As the world's first offshore structure, commissioned in 1885, it epitomises German engineering and maritime history.
However, according to current expert reports, the DSD no longer sees any other option. The foundation cites changing current and ground conditions in the Outer Weser and increasing extreme weather events due to climate change with higher wave impact as reasons for the relocation. Added to this are new findings on stability: the puddle steels used from the 19th century no longer fulfil the requirements for offshore structures. In addition, increased environmental and nature conservation requirements in the immediate vicinity of the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site are further limiting the work on site.
Alternatives were discussed in advance - from various on-site conservation options to highly intrusive structural solutions. However, according to the DSD experts, they do not offer any reliable prospects for long-term preservation.
The plan: a project worth millions
The plan is to remove only the upper part of the lighthouse - the culturally valuable segment with the characteristic three bays - and transport it ashore by crane ship. The historic base, the so-called caisson (a steel shell filled with concrete and masonry), must remain in its original location for technical reasons.
Specific details on costs and implementation steps can only be provided once the building application process has progressed further and the subsequent contract award steps have been finalised. However, it is already foreseeable that this will be a spectacular multi-million euro project. Earlier estimates for an on-site refurbishment totalled up to 12.5 million euros.
What happens next?
The DSD is closely coordinating the next steps with several partners: the Federal Ministry of Transport as the owner of the tower, the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture, the Lower Saxony State Office for the Preservation of Monuments and the municipality of Butjadingen. The timetable remains open. When the next steps can be realised depends on the building permit, technical coordination and securing funding.
Fedderwardersiel: An authentic setting
According to the DSD, Fedderwardersiel scores particularly well due to its location and licence eligibility. The small shrimp cutter harbour at the mouth of the Weser offers a maritime atmosphere and is relatively close to the original location. In an earlier survey by the Nordsee-Zeitung, the location had already proved to be a favourite with the public.
A long rescue story
This is not the first time that the Roter Sand lighthouse has had to be saved from ruin. After it was decommissioned in 1964, it was initially left to decay. A massive wave of protest from the population led to the founding of the Friends' Association. In 1987, a new steel sleeve was placed over the foundations in a spectacular operation. The tower then became the property of the German Foundation for Monument Protection.
Further refurbishment was necessary in 2011/12. Now probably the biggest challenge lies ahead: the relocation of the 53 metre high and 70 tonne structure - one of the most complex maritime operations ever carried out on the German North Sea coast.
A beacon with a soul
The Roter Sand lighthouse was built in 1885 as the world's first offshore structure. But it is more than just a picturesque motif: as the world's first offshore construction, it epitomises a pioneering technical achievement that was considered impossible at the time. Engineers and workers at the end of the 19th century created a structure out here in the roaring outer Weser that would last for generations - on a huge caisson foundation that was driven into the seabed.
The tower with its three striking bays, which hover over the sea like balconies, is something like the epitome of a lighthouse par excellence, and its imminent relocation triggers emotions. In the middle of the grey North Sea, battered by waves and wind, the red and white striped structure has defied the forces of nature for over 140 years. For generations of emigrants who left their homeland from Bremerhaven in the 19th and 20th centuries, it was the last piece of Germany they saw - a final greeting before the horizon swallowed them up. For returning sailors, the sight of it signalled the end of a long journey, the first sign that the familiar coast was near again.
Ursula Meer
Redakteurin Panorama und Reise
