Bornrif

Ameland lighthouse ("Bornrif")
	Ameland lighthouse
Place:	Hollum , Ameland
Location:	Friesland , Netherlands
Geographical location:	53 ° 26 '56.6 " N , 5 ° 37' 32.4" E Coordinates: 53 ° 26 '56.6 " N , 5 ° 37' 32.4" E
Fire height :	58
Identifier :	Fl (3) W 15s
Scope knows:	30 nm (55.6 km )
Optics:	Rotary optics (Fresnel lenses)
Operating mode:	electric
Function:	Lighthouse , radar (since 1988), weather station
Construction time:	1880-1881

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The lighthouse on the West Frisian island of Ameland does not officially have a name, but is often called Bornrif after the sandbank between Ameland and Terschelling .

history

The Ameland lighthouse was commissioned by King Willem III and built between 1880 and 1881. The beacon was first put into operation on May 10, 1881. The tower was designed by Quirinus Harder , the 15 individual segments were made from cast iron by the Nering Bögel foundry in Deventer and later shipped to Ameland, where they were assembled. With a total height of 55 meters, Bornrif is the tallest lighthouse on the West Frisian Islands and has been a listed building since 1982. The diameter of the tower is 9.2 meters at the foot and 4 meters directly under the beacon.

After completion, the tower received a new beacon and a new look several times . For example, the lens system was destroyed by the Dutch navy during World War II in 1940 to make navigation in the North Sea more difficult for the German navy. After the war, a weak auxiliary light (90,000 candela ) was installed in June 1945 , which earned the tower the derisive nickname “Schemerlamp” (German: small lamp). In order to meet the requirements of shipping again, the optics still used today and the beacon still used today with a strength of 4,400,000 candela, which was previously used in the "Oude Westhoofd" lighthouse on Goeree-Overflakkee , were installed in 1952 .

Representation of the light character during a 30-second interval

Animation of the light character (identifier)

The refraction of light by the optics ensures three light bundles every 15 seconds (2x3 light beams, identifier : Fl (3) W 15s). The dominant light color is white and can be seen 30 nautical miles (55.5 kilometers) away.

In 1988 the old light house was dismantled and replaced by a new one as part of a renovation, while a radar was installed at the same time. The old light house was exhibited in the Hollumer Reddingsmuseum and can still be visited there today. Due to new requirements, the first radar was replaced by a more powerful one in 1996.

In 2004 the municipality of Ameland acquired the lighthouse and reopened it to tourists on March 26, 2005. The individual tower levels have since been used as an exhibition space. On the second-highest level, for example, there is the reconstruction of the workplace of the former lighthouse keeper. For an entrance fee of currently 5.00 €, which is used for the maintenance of the tower, the tower can be climbed on a total of 236 steps to directly below the beacon.

In 2016, the outer facade of the lighthouse was temporarily designed as a work of art by the artist Rachel van Balen from Groningen as part of the Amelander Kunstmaand (Ameland Art Month) .

Development of the light intensity

1881-1911:	Four petroleum burners with a total of 24,000 candelas
1911-1924:	Pharoline glow burner with 120,000 candela
1924–1940:	Brandaris electric incandescent lamp with 303,000 candela
1940–1945:	No beacon due to the war
1945–1952:	Auxiliary light with 90,000 candela
Since 1952:	Halogen tube lamp with rotating optics and 4,400,000 candela