Danes try to move 120-year-old lighthouse from eroding coast
Danish lighthouse is put on wheels and shifted 263ft away from the crumbling coastline…at a steady 26ft per hour
- Rubjerg Knude lighthouse is being moved from cliff edge in Jutland, Denmark
- Experts are trying to shift the 76ft tall building as it is now only 20ft from the sea
- When defunct lighthouse was first lit in 1900, it was around 656 feet from coast
- Coast erosion hit northwestern Denmark and caused constantly shifting sands
A 120-year-old lighthouse has been put on wheels and rails to attempt to move it some 263 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 656 feet from the coast – now it is only about six meters away.
But today efforts began to shift the structure in Jutland on the island of Egtved and save it from the creeping coastal erosion.
The 120-year-old Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse in Jutland, Denmark, is being moved to save it from coastal erosion on the northwest of the country
The lighthouse was put on wheels and rails in an attempt to move it some 263 feet (80 meters) away from the North Sea
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 60 meters (200 feet) above sea level.
‘But it’s worth the risk … the alternative would to dismantle the lighthouse.’
The move is expected to last 10 hours, at a speed of 26 feet (eight metres) per hour.
Environment Minister Lea Wermelin has called the white, square lighthouse ‘a national treasure’ to explain why ministry spent $747,000 (five million kroner) 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.
Rubjerg Knude lighthouse was put on roller blades and moved around inland through the dunes to a safe position
Preparations being made today to move the 263 feet (80 meters) Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse. When it was built in 1990 it was roughly 656ft from the cliff edge, now it is only about 20ft from the North Sea
In the end, it was closed because of shifting sands which 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 currently fair in the region. Thirty minutes into the operation, the lighthouse had been moved 1.4 meters.
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 1987 became the first Danish film to win the Oscar for best foreign language film.
Rubjerg Knude lighthouse being moved in Jutland, on the island of Egtved Denmark, today
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