National Park Ship Lightship Borkumriff

The swimming lighthouse 

The ship "Borkumriff" used to be anchored about 30 kilometres northwest of the island of Borkum on one of the main shipping routes in the German Bay in the North Sea and used a beacon to show ships from all over the world the way into the Ems. Today, it is once again a "point of call". It is anchored in the harbour of Borkum and people head for it because of the good exhibitions and interesting information that await visitors. In this respect, the "Borkumriff", as an information centre and museum ship, is once again a beacon of light for people today.

The era of German lightships came to an end when the Borkumriff was decommissioned on 15 July 1988. In 1989, the ship was then put into operation as a national park ship. As such, the Borkumriff remains operational. However, in between her missions, she is open to visitors as a museum ship. On guided tours, members of the old crew provide insights into the work on the ship with the beacon. There is also a national park information centre on board, with interesting exhibitions on the topics of the Wadden Sea National Park and North Sea conservation. The team from the national park ship also organises natural history events on the ship or in nature.