Lighthouse Was 660 Feet From Coast. Now, 20 Feet

That means Tuesday is moving day for Denmark's Rubjerg Knude: 'Many things can go wrong'
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 22, 2019 8:55 AM CDT
Moving Day for 1K-Ton Lighthouse: 'Many Things Can Go Wrong'
In this photo taken on Monday, preparations are made to move the Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse in Jutland, Denmark.   (Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)

A 120-year-old lighthouse has been put on wheels and rails to attempt to move it Tuesday some 265 feet away from the North Sea, which has been eroding the coastline of northwestern Denmark. When the 76-foot-tall Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse was first lit in 1900, it was roughly 660 feet from the coast; now it's only about 20 feet away. Local Mayor Arne Boelt said "many things can go wrong" when moving the defunct lighthouse, weighing about 1,000 tons and sitting atop a cliff 200 feet above sea level, per the AP. "But it's worth the risk ... the alternative would [be] to dismantle the lighthouse." The move is expected to last 10 hours, at a speed of 26 feet per hour. Environment Minister Lea Wermelin has called the white, square lighthouse "a national treasure" to explain why the ministry spent about $750,000 to save it. Boelt and the town of Hjoerring also have chipped in to foot the bill.

The lighthouse ceased operating in 1968 and was briefly turned into a museum, including an exhibit about the structure's struggle against sand drift. In the end, it was closed because of shifting sands that slowly buried the two buildings adjacent to the lighthouse. The lighthouse, however, still gets more than 250,000 visitors each year. The move, broadcast live on major Danish news outlets, depended on the weather, which was fair in the region. Thirty minutes into the operation, the lighthouse had been moved about 5 feet. The area is known for constantly shifting sands and an eroding coastline. In 2008, a nearby church was dismantled to prevent it from falling into the sea. The Romanesque Maarup Church, built on a cliff around 1250, was picked for scenes in Babette's Feast, which in 1988 became the first Danish film to win the Oscar for best foreign language film.

(More lighthouse stories.)

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