Discussion about location
Ministry: Accepting “Red Sand” in Sea “Unrealistic”
Can the dilapidated “Roter Sand” lighthouse remain standing at the mouth of the Weser river? A petition to state parliament calls for that, rather than taking action on the land. The state government is skeptical.
The Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture rejected a proposed petition to leave the dilapidated “Roter Sand” lighthouse at its original location at the mouth of the Weser. “From a heritage point of view, leaving the lighthouse in its original location does not serve the purpose of preserving the monument,” ministry spokesman Falko Mohrs (SPD) said when asked. The matter is being discussed today at the state parliament’s petitions committee in Hanover.
How to deal with maritime issues, the important matters listed have been discussed for many years. The German Monument Protection Foundation supports moving the building to the mainland to preserve the tower. The initiator of the petition, which has now been signed by more than 5,600 people, rejects this.
This step required the lighthouse to be separated from its foundations, which would then rot in the North Sea. “This would destroy the world’s first offshore structure,” the petition said.
The ministry expects high costs
The ministry considers local preservation not an option. “Permanent renovation and securing of the original site is deemed unrealistic due to static, material loss that has occurred, expected more frequent loading due to weather and significant renovation and follow-up costs,” a ministry spokesperson said.
The ministry, as the country’s highest monument protection authority, also criticized the proposed petition to propose “Red Sands” as a UNESCO world cultural heritage site. Although the lighthouse is an “outstanding cultural monument,” “it is currently unclear what ‘Outstanding Universal Value’ (OUV) in the meaning of the World Heritage Convention the lighthouse could represent in such a unique way,” the ministry said.
dpa
