The Lindau Lighthouse is one of the most beautiful and photographed lighthouses in Germany. It is a medieval tower with a tall pyramidal roof located in Lindau on Lake Constance.
The lighthouse is 33 meters tall and has a perimeter of 24 meters at its base.
It was completed in 1856, when it took over the port’s previous light station in the Mangtrum Tower, which had been constructed in 1230. The 108-foot tall structure is quite unique among lighthouses because it also houses a massive clock.
The clock is clearly visible from the center of the city and, just as its beacon sailors safely to shore, the Lindau Lighthouses’ clock never lets the city’s population lose track of time.
The Mangtrum Tower functioned militarily and defended the town of Lindau for several centuries.
During the first years of operation, the light was created by an open oil fire. At the time, the keeper would steadily have kept the fire burning in great pans and operate a bell and foghorn. The firing was later converted to kerosene and then gas.
Since 1936, the tower has been operated electrically and was automated in the early 1990s. Today, the light is triggered by radio signals emitted by approaching ships.
The lighthouse and the entire port of Lindau were originally built by the Bavarian Railway Company, and was later operated by the shipping department for Lake Constance of Deutsche Bahn.
Eventually, the port was sold to the city works of Constance in 2002, together with the Bodensee-Schiffsbetriebe GmbH shipping company.
After several years of negotiations, the port area, and thus the lighthouse, were transferred to the town of Lindau in April 2010.
It is open to visitors, who may find information on local nature and on Lake Constance shipping. The Lindau Lighthouse continues to be a major tourist attraction in Germany.