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Camping (dpa) - In a few weeks, Germany's highest lighthouse should shine again in its striking red steel frame.
The renovation of the more than 130-year-old Campener lighthouse in East Frisia is in the final stages, as Rainer-Jörg Oldewurtel from the Waterways and Shipping Office (WSA) Ems-Nordsee said in Emden.
The lighthouse was last renovated in 1992 - now the general overhaul, including a fresh coat of paint in red and white, should make the structure fit for at least the next 20 years.
Work has been underway on the 65 meter high lighthouse since the summer of last year.
Since then, 32 scaffolding floors have obstructed the view of the building, which, along with the famous red and yellow Pilsumer Otto lighthouse, is one of the tourist attractions in the municipality of Krummhörn in the Aurich district.
The intact beacon is also an important navigation mark.
"Its light shines on the Außenems and shows the ships the route," explained Oldewurtel.
In addition, the tower is equipped with devices for directional radio to Borkum.
For the renovation, workers used environmentally friendly plastic granules to blast the color of the building floor by floor.
A few weak points in the steel, corrosion damage, became visible and then repaired.
Nevertheless, the WSA is satisfied: The condition makes a very good impression, said Oldewurtel.
Especially since the tower directly behind the dike is particularly exposed to the harsh North Sea climate.
It is only a few meters away from the salt water.
In addition, sanding by the wind and solar radiation would have worn the paint coating over the years.
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"The tower was getting on in years," said Oldewurtel.
Now the tower is repainted from top to bottom with a total of five new layers of paint.
These colors were put together especially for the Campener original.
Since the new color could not be applied in cold, wet weather, there was a break in winter.
The renovation was delayed.
According to the WSA, the costs should not increase as a result.
They are around 600,000 euros.
The steel lattice tower from 1889 with its riveted iron parts is somewhat reminiscent of the famous Parisian Eiffel Tower, which was built around the same time - that's why its counterpart in the Krummhörn is sometimes also called the "East Frisian Eiffel Tower".
At that time they thought this new construction method was great, explains Oldewurtel.
However, the architecture is now making repainting more difficult.
"With all the nooks and crannies, it's a very demanding job."
Between the middle and the end of April, according to the plan, the scaffolding will then have completely disappeared and the view of the Krummhorn landmark will be open again.
It will take some time before tourists can climb the 320 steps to the gallery again.
According to the Krummhörner Touristikgesellschaft, there is not yet an opening date due to the corona pandemic.
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© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210327-99-991975 / 2
Information about the Campener lighthouse