About Lyngvig Fyr

In 1903, another ship ran aground on the dangerous west coast of Jutland. This time it was the Norwegian steamer SS Avona. From the beach you could do nothing and see nothing. But you could hear the ship's crew shouting until you could no longer hear them either. Later that night, all 24 men washed up on the beach. The Norwegian state urged the Danish state to build another lighthouse between Blåvandshuk Lighthouse and Bovbjerg Lighthouse.

The work began
The first thing to be done was to build a harbor in Nr. Lyngvig. The harbor was necessary to transport materials from Ringkøbing to the construction site. Even during construction, Lyngvig Fyr was already a tourist attraction. People from near and far came to see the slender lighthouse take shape.

Denmark's last major lighthouse was completed in 1906. At night, it is recognized by its unique lighthouse character: a rotating white flash every five seconds. The lighthouse itself is 38 meters tall, but as it stands on a dune top, it reaches a flame height of 53 meters above sea level. At Lyngvig Fyr, you can see Frederik VIII's monogram above the door. Frederik VIII was king for only six years, so his monogram can only be seen on a few historic buildings.

In the past, three people had to look after the lighthouse: the lighthouse keeper, the assistant lighthouse keeper and the lighthouse keeper. They lived with their families in the lighthouse keeper's house, where they each had their own apartment. With the sea, the fjord and the dune's fishermen and beach wardens as the only neighbors, the nearest town, Hvide Sande, only came after 1931.

The light from Lyngvig Fyr
During the Second World War, the gap at Hvide Sande and probably also Lyngvig Fyr were used as landmarks when the British airmen flew over the country. Even though the lighthouse's cone of light, like the rest of the country's lights, was ordered blacked out by the occupying forces, the white lighthouse still lit up. The occupying forces therefore planned to blow up the distinctive lighthouse, but fortunately the plans were never carried out.

Lyngvig Fyr was built with a rotating lens pulled by a clockwork with a plumb bob that could move all the way down the stairwell. The lens had to turn once every 20 seconds, so the clockwork had to be wound up with a hand winch every four hours. In 1920, the original acetylene gas burner was replaced by a kerosene incandescent burner. Later again, electric light was added.