Lighthouse Lange Nelle Ostend

May 2022: It was a unique sight this afternoon in Ostend at the lighthouse: with a crane, the lens of the lighthouse light was brought down from the upper part of the tower. Due to certain pieces being damaged, the light is reflected with less intensity.

This lighthouse, commonly known as "Lange Nelle," is the fourth lighthouse in the history of Ostend and the third at that location. The lighthouse is 65 meters high, has 324 steps, and has been guiding fishermen safely into the harbor since 1949. The lighthouse operates fully automatically.

In January 2023, there was commotion around the light of the lighthouse that shone into the newly erected high-rise buildings. The side facing the land was shielded for several nights but after a petition with thousands of signatures the cover was removed. The people of Ostend had their say...

A lighthouse works with a powerful lamp and a set of lenses, made by true specialists. This allows the light to be seen for tens of kilometers out to sea. The setup in a lighthouse consists of a lamp, which is positioned in the center. It is a 2,000 watt halogen lamp that starts burning as soon as it gets dark.

It is actually the rotating lens around the lamp that creates the typical flashes of light seen from a lighthouse. That light is visible up to about 50 kilometers out to sea. The light flashes from the lighthouse form a morse code. Every 10 seconds you see 3 flashes of light. Those 3 flashes correspond to the morse code for the letter O. That letter refers to the port of Ostend. Each lighthouse has its own series of light flashes. This way, ships can know which lighthouse they are approaching.

Nowadays, ships are equipped from top to bottom with various GPS systems. So is it necessary for the lighthouse light to be maintained? Yes, definitely. Large ships primarily do use GPS systems, so they need this light less. But for recreational sailors, the lighthouse light is a clear point of reference.

Willem Vandenameele