Fehmarn Flügge

The Leuchtturm Flügge stands on Fehmarn, a Baltic island off Schleswig-Holstein’s coast. It sits in the southwest near the Fehmarnsund bridge, marking the shallow Flügger Sand and Breiter Barg shoals. The tower replaced an old woodland landmark called Flügger Holz after the trees died in the 19th century. A small brick base from that first structure still lies close to the keeper’s house. The present white octagonal tower was clad in red-and-white plates in the 1970s to repair cracks. After further damage to the stairs, a full restoration in 2010 returned the tower to its original yellow-and-red brick pattern. Five keepers watched over the light from 1872 until the automation of 1978. Wilhelm Drewes served the longest term, forty-nine years. The tower’s main beacon flashes in groups of four every twenty seconds to guide ships. Below, a steady fixed light at a lower window works with the Unterfeuer Strukkamphuk to steer vessels toward the Fehmarnsund bridge. The light once burned benzene and later bottled gas before electricity arrived in 1954. Today a 400-watt HQI lamp shines in the lantern, backed by a diesel generator for emergencies. Visitors climb 162 steps to the top for sweeping views across the Krummsteert nature reserve and the protected waters west of Fehmarn. On clear days the eye follows the Fehmarnsund bridge eastward to Heiligenhafen and Großenbrode. The tower’s lantern room itself remains closed, but the restored brickwork and the keeper’s old base add to the scene. A 2013 German postage stamp featuring the lighthouse shows how widely it is recognised. The island’s other towers—Marienleuchte, Strukkamphuk, Staberhuk and Westermarkelsdorf—lie within easy reach for further exploration.