Nidingen

Halland · Sweden · Lighthouse

The reef northeast of the island seemed to move: one day a visible islet, the next several metres under water. The spirits of drowned sailors were said to shift it.

Nidingen is a low, treeless skerry in the Kattegat off Kungsbacka, ringed by reefs that barely show — and the most treacherous of them all, Lillelandsrevet to the northeast, seemed to change position. Both lighthouse keepers and seafarers testified that one day the reef lay with its back bared above the surface, plainly visible as a small island, and the next was hidden several metres down. The shoal was once believed to be haunted by the spirits of drowned sailors, with the power to move it. Around the island lie an estimated seven hundred wrecks. The Danes lit the world's first double light here as early as 1624 to stop the sinkings; the island became Swedish in 1645. Still it went on — between 1917 and 1944 alone there were forty-four shipping accidents, and at Christmas 1916 nearly the whole lighthouse staff was lost. The shoals are named after those who went down on them.

FAQ

Where is Nidingen located?

Nidingen is in Halland, Sweden.