Lighthouses of Switzerland

Switzerland (officially the Swiss Confederation, Confoederatio Helvetica in Latin) is an Alpine country bordering Germany to the north, Austria to the east, Italy to the south, and France to the west. The nation is a federation of 26 states called cantons; the cantons were considered to be independent states until the federal constitution was adopted in 1848.

Switzerland has no seacoast but there is navigation on lakes, two large ones in particular. One is Lac Léman (Lake Geneva in English). The Rhône River flows out of Lac Léman at Genève (Geneva) to begin its course through southern France to the Mediterranean. Another large lake is the Bodensee (Lake Constance in English), located on the country's northern border with Germany. The Rhine River flows through the Bodensee before beginning its course northward through Germany and the Netherlands to the North Sea.

Switzerland has four official languages; its name is Schweiz in German, Suisse in French, Svizzera in Italian, and Svizra in Romansh. French is the common language of the Lac Léman area and German is the common language of the Bodensee area. The French word for a lighthouse is phare, but it is usually reserved for larger coastal lighthouses; each of these Swiss lights would be called a feu (fire) in French. The German word for a lighthouse is Leuchtturm (light tower).

The lighthouses on the lakes are owned and operated by the respective city governments.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights.

Special thanks to Michel Forand for providing much of the data on these lighthouses.

General Sources
Leuchtfeuer in Binnenland
Photos and information posted by Erich Hartmann.
World of Lighthouses - Switzerland
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Lighthouses in Switzerland
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
Leuchttürme in Schweiz
Photos by Andreas Köhler.
Leuchttürme der Alpenregion und andere Inlandstürme auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard views posted by Klaus Huelse.
Navionics Charts - Bodensee and Lac Léman
Navigational chart information for the major lakes.
 


Les Pâquis Light, Genève, April 2023
Google Maps photo by Chantal Wittwer

Lighthouses of Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) (see also France: Alpes-Maritimes)

Genève Canton Lighthouses
Genève Jetée du Sud (Eaux-Vives) (2)
1911 (station established 1875). Active; focal plane 3 m (10 ft); continuous red light. 7 m (23 ft) octagonal cast iron tower with an ornate domed roof. Tower painted white, lantern black. Victor Abellón's photo is at right, Nathalie Booth has a nice panoramic view showing the Feu des Pâquis (next entry) in the background, Wikimedia has photos, Köhler has a photo, Huelse has a historic postcard view, Tom Raus has a 2021 street view, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the Jetée du Sud (south jetty) in the Parc des Eaux-Vives, near the famous Jet d'Eau, the world's tallest fountain (140 m (459 ft) high). Site and tower closed (this jetty does not appear to be walkable), but there are good views from the park onshore. Owner/site manager: Ville de Genève. ARLHS SWI-002.
* Les Pâquis (Genève) (2)
1896 (station established 1857). Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); white or green light, depending on direction; the lighthouse is also floodlit at night. Approx. 17 m (56 ft) octagonal cast iron tower mounted on an octagonal stone base. Entire lighthouse painted white. Chantal Wittwer's 2023 photo is at the top of this page, Wikimedia has photos, Köhler has a photo, a 2022 twilight photo of the light in action is available, Bobby Hidy has a nice photo, Kevin Wagenaar has a closeup street view, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view and a distant street view. This well known lighthouse is the subject of countless photos. The first lighthouse was built as an experiment to test the use of a primitive form of electric lighting in which the light was provided by an open arc of electricity. The tests were held in December 1857. The results were inconclusive at best and the test lighthouse was abandoned until the present tower was built in 1896. At that time there was commercial shipping on Lac Léman but only pleasure craft and passenger ferries navigate the lake today. The lighthouse is located at the end of the Jetée des Pâquis, which projects into Lac Léman on the waterfront of downtown Genève (Geneva), at the intersection of the Quai du Mont Blanc and the Quai Wilson. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Ville de Genève. . ARLHS SWI-001.
Geneva Lighthouse
Jetée du Sud Light and Jet d'Eau, Genève, September 2006
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Victor Abellón

Vaud Canton Lighthouses
* Morges Jetée du Sud
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); continuous red light. 7 m (23 ft) square masonry tower with a steeply pyramidal, tile-covered roof; the light is displayed from the peak of the roof. The photo at right is part of Alfred Kolner's 2023 photo showing both lighthouses, Köhler has a photo, John Golay has a 2021 photo of the light in action at twilight, and Google has a street view of the two lights and a satellite view of the harbor. Morges is a town on the north side of Lac Léman a short distance west of Lausanne. The harbor was built in 1696 and the two jetty houses are believed to be nearly that old. It is not known when they were equipped with lights, but note that there's no light shown in Huelse's postcard view. Located at the end of the south jetty at Morges. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SWI-003.
* Morges Jetée du Nord
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 8 m (26 ft); continuous green light. 7 m (23 ft) square masonry tower with a steeply pyramidal, tile-covered roof; the light is displayed from the peak of the roof. Claudine Booth's photo is at right (Lightphotos.net also has this photo), Köhler has a photo, this lighthouse is on the left in Alfred Kolner's 2023 photo showing both lighthouses, and Google has a street view of the two lights and a satellite view. Located at the end of the north jetty at Morges. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SWI-004.
* [Lausanne Jetée de l'Étoile]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 9 m (30 ft); continuous (?) white light. Approx. 8 m (26 ft) stainless steel post. Simeon Kateliev has a street view and Google has a satellite view. Located at the Vieux Port at the east end of the Lausanne waterfront. Site open, tower closed.

Jetée du Sud Light, Morges, March 2023
Google Maps photo by Chttps://maps.app.goo.gl/GGFHZC3EGMfrBGbU6

Lighthouses of the Rhein and the Bodensee (Lake Constance) (see also Germany: The Bodensee and Austria)

Lightship at Basel
*** Irish Lightship Gannet (South Rock, Coningbeg)
1954. Decommissioned 2007. 36.3 m (119 ft) steel lightship; hexagonal skeletal light tower with lantern and gallery amidships. Entire ship originally painted red. Fog horn (3 blasts every 60 s). William Murphey has an October 2007 photo of the ship at Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin. As a manned lightship Gannet served 26 years on the Kish Bank station. Iris Klempau reports that Gannet served on the Coningbeg station beginning in 2001, when it replaced Skua. Its last station was at South Rock. In February 2009 the lightship was replaced by a modern lightfloat and later that year the Commissioners of Irish Lights placed the ship up for sale. It was sold and towed to England. The ship arrived at Hoo on the River Medway on 13 March 2010. In November 2010 the ship was sold again, to Simon Freeman, who continued to have the ship moored in the Medway. In 2014 he was hard at work restoring the vessel, posting a blog describing this work. David Anstiss has a September 2015 photo. As of September 2016 the ship was once again for sale, this time for £210,000. In 2018 the ship was acquired by Andy Wyss of Basel. After some modifications to allow the ship to fit under Rhine bridges, the ship was towed to Basel in the spring of 2019. In August 2019 the ship was lifted out of the Rhine by cranes to be restored for use as a cultural space in the Holzpark Klybeck, a cultural development on the Klybeck quay, the city's waterfront on the Rhine. In August 2021 a restaurant opened in the restored vessel, now dry-berthed on the quay. Farizqun Karim's photo is at right, Remo Bolzern has a photo, Peter M. Schulthess has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Site and vessel open. Owner/site manager: Gannet Ahoi!. ARLHS IRE-129.

Irish Lightship Gannet, Basel, October 2021
Google Maps photo by Farizqun Karim

Thurgau Canton Lighthouses
* Romanshorn
Date unknown (before 1910). Active; focal plane about 12 m (39 ft); continuous green light. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) octagonal tower with a small square lantern topped by a square skeletal fog bell tower with bell. Tower painted white; roof is gray, lantern black. KA 2024 Google Maps street view is at right, Simon Frei has a closeup photo, Köhler has a 2016 photo, Lightphotos.net has a photo, Huelse has a historic postcard view, Jörg Berger has a street view, and Google has a satellite view. The building was formerly used as a customs house. A post near the lighthouse carries a second light (white or red depending on direction). Located at the end of the north jetty, one of two jetties enclosing the harbor of Romanshorn, about 16 km (10 mi) northwest of Rorschach. Accessible by walking the pier, and there should be good views from the ferries sailing across the lake between Romanshorn and Friedrichshafen, Germany. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SWI-005.
Romanshorn Shoal
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 6 m (20 ft); white flash every 5 s. 8 m (26 ft) round lantern supported by piles; a fog bell hangs above the lantern. Lantern painted white with one red horizontal band. Lightphotos.net has a photo and Google has a satellite view. Located on a shoal about 700 m (0.45 mi) east of the Romanshorn harbor entrance. Accessible only by boat, but there are good views from the ferries sailing across the lake. Site open, tower closed.

St. Gallen Canton Lighthouses
* Rorschach
1869. Active (?); focal plane about 14 m (46 ft); continuous green light. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) square skeletal cast iron tower with a small gallery. Thomas Engl has a 2009 closeup, Lightphotos.net has Köhler's photo, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Located at the end of the long, curving breakwater at Rorschach. Accessible by walking the pier, and there are good views from ferries sailing across the lake between Rorschach and Lindau, Germany. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SWI-006.

Information available on lost lighthouses:


Romanshorn Light, Romanshorn, March 2024
Google Maps street view

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Germany Bodensee | East: Austria | South: Alpes-Maritimes (French Riviera)

Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key

Posted April 17, 2006. Checked and revised April 13, 2024. Lighthouses: 7; lightships: 1. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.