The 120-year-old Rubjerg Knude lighthouse in Denmark was moved 70 metres back from the coastline on 22 October.
The Danish environment minister, Lea Wermelin, called the lighthouse ‘a national treasure’ in an attempt to justify the 5-million kroner (about R7.6 million) spent to save it, according to The Guardian.
Before being moved, the building was in danger of collapse because of shifting sands.
When the 23-metre lighthouse was first lit in 1900, it was roughly 200 metres from the coast. That distance since receded six metres due to erosion of the cliff it’s on.
Weighing 720 tonnes, moving it was not a small operation and there were a number of risks involved.
Beams were inserted under the base of the structure, which was then raised on to parallel rails and slowly wheeled. According to the BBC, it could be wheeled away no faster than 12 metres per hour.
This tourist attraction is situated on the north-west of the island of North Jutland and ceased operating as a lighthouse in 1968 when sands slowly buried two adjacent buildings. It was briefly turned into a museum and although it’s just a monument today, the surrounding dunes still attract more than a quarter of a million visitors per year.
If this beautiful landmark had not been moved, it would have fallen into the sea within a year or two, experts say. Now it is believed to out of harm’s way for a good 40 years longer.
Image: Wikimedia commons
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