The old Austro-Hungarian Empire had a long coastline on the Adriatic Sea in what is now Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia, and the imperial government built many fine lighthouses on that coast. But since the end of World War I Austria has been a land-locked country, extending only from the Alps to the Danube.

In German, a lighthouse is a Leuchtturm ("light tower"), plural Leuchttürme.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights.

Bodensee Lighthouse

* Bregenz Westmole

2009. Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); continuous (?) white light; there is also a continuous (?) green light at a focal plane of about 7 m (23 ft). 30 m (98 ft) tower, with four square steel posts supporting a box-like lantern. Jan Olof Nygren's photo of this remarkable light is at right, Wikimedia has a photo by Friedrich Böhringer, and there's a photo of the lighthouse in action, but the light is too new to appear in Google's satellite view. The light was prefabricated and erected by a crane in a single day in May 2009. It is the signature piece of a reconstruction of the harbor, but a similar, shorter light was also installed on the east mole. Bregenz is at the eastern end of the Bodensee (Lake Constance) and is the only Austrian town on the lake. Klaus Huelse has postcard views of an older and a second older pier light at Bregenz. There are additional lighthouses on the lake in Germany and Switzerland. Located at the end of the west mole of Bregenz. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed.

Neusiedlersee Lighthouse

* Podersdorf-am-See

Date unknown. Active; continuous (?) white light. Approx. 11 m (36 ft) round metal tower with lantern. Lighthouse painted white with three red horizontal bands; lantern painted with red and white vertical stripes. Zdeno Kudolani has a 2008 closeup photo, a 2006 photo and a photo of the lighthouse in operation are available, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse stands on the eastern shore of the Neusiedlersee (Lake Neusiedl), Austria's largest lake, near the Hungarian border at the eastern end of the country. It is well known as a landmark and tourist attraction. Located at the end of a short wooden pier in Podersdorf-am-See. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS AUT-003.

Leuchtturm Bregenz, August 2009
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Jan Olof Nygren