tourism
New lighthouse keeper introduced on Wangerooge
Daniel Jochheim is the new lighthouse keeper on the North Sea island of Wangerooge. photo
© Jörn Hüneke/dpa
After a long search with many applicants, the island of Wangerooge finally has a new lighthouse keeper. He has now been officially introduced at his future workplace.
The municipality advertised the unusual position at the beginning of February. However, we were not looking for a lighthouse keeper in the traditional sense, as they have not been available on the North and Baltic Seas since the late 1990s. According to the job description, the tasks include ticket sales, admission control and the sale of souvenir items. The 39 meter high, listed Old Lighthouse has not been in operation since 1969 and is used by the island for tourism, including as a viewing platform. A new, fully automatic and unmanned lighthouse now shows the way to the ships.
The job advertisement was met with enormous interest across Germany. The town hall of the holiday island, which has around 1,200 residents, received around 1,100 applications, including from other European countries. According to its own information, the municipality conducted 45 interviews and ten applicants were shortlisted.
As part of the introduction of the new lighthouse keeper, the reopening of the island museum in the lighthouse was also celebrated. The museum was closed for a long time after a restoration.
Information about the lighthouse