Beacon Gellen

Gellen beacon on Hiddensee - a navigation mark since 1905

The Gellen lighthouse, built in 1905, is located in the far south of the island of Hiddensee, on the narrow headland of Gellen. The compact lighthouse is just 12 meters high and is therefore affectionately known as the "Little Lighthouse". Due to its location in the south of the island, it is also known as the "Southern Lighthouse". It was constructed from red and white painted iron segments that rest on a solid stone base - a characteristic appearance that clearly distinguishes it from other lighthouses on the Baltic coast of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Navigation aid for the Gellenstrom between the Baltic Sea and Stralsund

As a cross-marker light, the Gellen beacon emits a uniformly flashing, fixed light radiating all around in all 360 degrees. It is used by coastal shipping as an important signal for navigating the Gellenstrom fairway - the connection from the open Baltic Sea to Stralsund. To this day, the small structure still fulfills an important function for shipping between the island of Hiddensee, the neighbouring island of Rügen and the mainland.

The Gellen - natural landscape in the south of Hiddensee

The Gellen headland, on which the beacon stands, is part of the Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft National Park and is one of the wildest and loneliest corners of the island of Hiddensee. The flat, largely untouched landscape with a view of the Bodden and Baltic Sea makes a walk to the Gellen beacon a special nature experience on the coast of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.