Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: lighthouse

De Vuurduin is the landmark of the island of Vlieland. This lighthouse - also called the Rode Kabouter (Red Gnome) - is a monument. It is only 16.8 metres high, but thanks to its location on the 42-metre-high Vuurboetsduin , the light from the tower shines 55 metres above sea level. The lights and the glass are stationary; a sort of curtain rotates to screen the light every two seconds. The cast-iron red tower was originally the superstructure of a tower from IJmuiden and was transferred to Vlieland in 1909. In 1929, an observation post on stilts was built next to the lighthouse. In 1986, the dome of the lighthouse was completely renovated. De Vuurduin works completely automatically. The lighthouse keeper is still regularly present for visitors. The stairs to the panoramic roof have 49 steps; the lamp is 9 steps higher. From the lighthouse one has a unique view over two seas: the Wadden Sea and the North Sea.

There are still fifteen active lighthouses along the Dutch coast. The vuurtoren J.C.J. van Speijk (J.C.J. van Speijk lighthouse) in Egmond is one of the oldest active lighthouses. The treacherous sea near Egmond necessitated the construction of two lighthouses: a northern and a southern tower. Work started in 1833 and one year later the construction was completed, lightkeepers were appointed and the light was lit. In IJmuiden - to the south of Egmond - also two lighthouses were built in 1876, after the construction of the North Sea Canal. In order to distinguish between the lighthouses of Egmond and IJmuiden, the lighthouses of Egmond were provided with red windows, which meant that the light emitted had a red colour. In 1834 the northern tower at Egmond aan Zee was chosen as the J.C.J. van Speijkmonument , in honour of Lieutenant Commander “Jan Carel Josephus van Speijk”, who was a gunboat commander at the time of the Belgian uprising. Van Speijk achieved eternal fame by sacrificing himself and blowing up his boat to prevent it from falling into enemy hands during the Belgian uprising. In addition to Van Speijk, twenty-five other crew members were killed. The lighthouse was equipped with a rotating light in 1891. The light in the southern tower was deactivated in the same year and finally demolished in 1915. To warn ships of dangerous shallows on the northern side of Egmond, the northern side of the light is red. The light turns white again when the ships are out of the danger zone. The vuurtoren J.C.J. van Speijk is a national monument and still shines its light over Egmond aan Zee and the North Sea every evening. It is built of brick and subsequently plastered in white. The tower has a height of 28 meters; the focal height is 37 meters. The range of the white light is 18 nautical miles and for the red one 14 nautical miles.

The Vischpoort (Fish Gate) is the only remaining gate of the five city gates of Harderwijk and is dating back to the 14th century. The gate is situated on the historical seaside of the former Zuiderzee , a shallow bay of the North Sea. The upper part - above the corbel - dates from the 15th century. In the year of 1851 was a little tower with a lighthouse placed on top of the slate roof. Till 1947 the Vischpoort served as a lighthouse. After the closure of the Zuiderzee it lost its significance. Nowadays the light is only switched on on on special occasions. The Vischpoort was originally called the Lage Bruggepoort . On the seaside of the gate there was a wooden pier onto which small boats could load and unload cargo, especially fish to/from the Vischmarkt (Fish Market) on the city side of the gate. The gate also had a protective function, against enemies as well as against the water and was closed at high tide. In 1973 the Vischpoort , wall houses and city wall were restored. The pump in front of the gate is a replica of an old city pump, which was in use until 1896. Nowadays the gate is listed as a Dutch national heritage site

The lighthouse on Texel - officially Eierland Vuurtoren (Lighthouse Eierland) - is named after the island of Eierland, on of the two former islands, which were merged together to present island of Texel. The lighthouse is surrounded by a vast dune area, called Eierlandse Duinen and is located on the most northern point of Texel. The lighthouse was built in 1864 after some civilians of Texel attended on the dangers of the waters between Texel and the island of Vlieland (72 ships had wrecked between 1848 and 1860). The tower itself is 37,4 metres high. During the uprising of the Georgians in World War II - they barricaded themselves in the tower - the lighthouse was heavily damaged and had to be ‘rebuilt’. In 1950 it was lighted again. As said the tower is surrounded by a scenic dune area on the mainland side and a very wide beach (especially at low tide). It is a very pleasant walking clockwise ‘around’ the tower from the car park at the end of the ‘Vuurtorenweg’. After finishing your walk have a drink or snack in ‘Torenrestaurant' with great views of the beach and ‘of course’ the sturdy bright red lighthouse. The lighthouse can be visited; from the top one has spectacular views of the North - and Wadden Sea and the nearby island of Vlieland.

Marken, a former island, has still a lighthouse, which is called Paard van Marken (Horse of Marken). It is situated on the eastern tip of the island and is only accessible on foot or bike. The current lighthouse was built in 1839; it has a height of 16 meters and a light range of 16.7 km. In 1700 the tower started as a square lighthouse. This was one of three lighthouses near Marken, which was decided to mark the route from the sea to Amsterdam. The three towers were equipped with oil lamps. In 1839, the square stone tower was replaced by a round iron one on the old foundations. Later on, a brick building with a house and storage place was built, which provided the lighthouse its characteristic shape. Till 1957 the small fishing village of Marken was an island in the IJsselmeer (the former Zuiderzee ). From that moment on it was connected by the mainland of the Province of Noord-Holland by a dike. The village is situated rather close to Amsterdam and part of the municipality of Waterland. About 2.000 people are living on the peninsula. Marken (together with Volendam) is one of the most well-known tourist destinations in the Netherlands; it has its own charm with its quaint green coloured wooden houses on poles and the very colourful traditional costumes.

The beach of Noordwijk was lit already in 1444, when after sunset a big fire was set to show the fisher boats the way to the coast. The first (wooden) lighthouse was built in the 19th century. The present lighthouse dates from 1921. The remarkable white plastered tower - originally built out of red brick - has a height of 25,5 metres, which means the light itself is 33 metres above sea level. The tower has six flowers and 108 stair steps to the top. It is an unmanned lighthouse.

Lighthouse at Cap de Creus, built in the 19th century.