Homborsund Lighthouse

Homborsund lighthouse is a coastal lighthouse located on the island Store Grønningen at the entrance to Homborsund outside Grimstad. The lighthouse is an example of a multi-family station as the lighthouse keeper lived together with his family at the island. The buildings are located together on the island with a partially enclosed courtyard between the houses, and is a dominant element in the coastal road. The coastal strait is very busy during the summer, and the lighthouse has a great value of experience as part of the local environment.

The construction of the lighthouse station at Store Grønningen began in 1877. The lamp was lit on September 1st, 1879. The concrete building has a 20.1 meter high lighthouse built to the gable. The height of the light is 22.3 meters above sea level at high tide. The lighthouse has a brightness of 423,900 candela (measuring unit, latin for candles) and a total range of 14,5 nautical miles. The light character is fixed with four flashes in quick succession every minute.

Today`s edition of the lighthouse is dated 1950. In 1951, the lighthouse was significantly improved. A diafon fog signal was installed, and the lighthouse building was expanded to accommodate compressors and compressed air tanks, as well as electrical power supplies as reserves for power from the grid. The staff was extended with another person, and a double residence was built for the assistants. The diafon fog signal scheme is currently intact.

In 1973, the lighthouse station changed from being a family station to a turn station where only the lighthouse keeper and his assistants had their workplace. The family stayed on the coastal areas. The staff often had a six-week turn and three weeks off. In 1987, the lighthouse was automated, but it continued to be operated by the lighthouse keeper until 1992 when the lighthouse station was vacated.

The lighthouse station as it appears today has a high degree of origin, and is a good representative of a larger concrete construction that was common when new lighthouses was constructed during the 1870s. The Directorate for Cultural Heritage conserved Homborsund lighthouse by decision on March 3rd, 1998. The conservation decision includes the lighthouse keepers house with the beacon and the surrounding buildings on the island according to the law on cultural heritage.

Cultural heritages such as well, gardens and buildings provide a picture of life on the island beyond the operation of the lighthouse. The island is part of a larger conservation area, partly due to the presence of bird species and genetic diversity represented on the islands surrounding the lighthouse station. The area is therefore subject to the rules on territorial protection under the Nature Diversity Act.

Currently the lighthouse station is operated and maintained by the friends association Homborsund Lighthouse`s friends, in agreement with the municipality of Grimstad and the Norwegian Coastal Administration. The friends association shall facilitate the use on behalf of the public by administering the charter of the assistant residence, the building next to the residence and one boathouse. The Norwegian Coastal Administration handles the lighthouse keepers house and building and one boathouse. The friends association shall also organize the obligations imposed by the agreement with the municipality of Grimstad and the Norwegian Coastal Administration. A newly established new floating dock was established outside the inner harbor during 2017 with the result that larger recreational crafts now have the opportunity to arrive and stay.

Do you want to stay in a marine environment on an island, at a real lighthouse station, alone or with others? Are you a group, team or company who want a different meeting room or a team building arena? Contact the friend association to book your experience. Contact information can be found at the top of this page. During the summer season you may contact the lighthouse host family on tel: +47 97 10 13 73.

Summer host from 2 July to 19 August.