The construction of the lighthouse was officially approved in 1863, however, as a result of serious disagreement between its financiers, the town of Rostock, the district administrator (estates of the country: parliament of patricians and knights) and the Mecklenburg railways (the latter had owned the ferry boat route to Gedser in Denmark since 1886), the project did not actually start until 1897.

The building was planned and erected by the director of harbour construction, Friedrich Kerner.

In the early years, the lighthouse lamp used petroleum and later gas to generate its light.

To begin with, the rotating Fresnel lens assembly was propelled by clockwork, driven by a heavy iron weight sliding down a steel tube in the centre of the tower.

Every evening, the lighthouse keeper had first to pump 90 litres of petroleum up to a tank at the top and then wind the weight up every two hours.

Now the service has been centralized and is managed by the Sea Traffic Control Centre at Hohe Düne.