J.C.J. van Speijk Lighthouse

Lighthouse

52°37′8.6″N 4°37′18″E / 52.619056°N 4.62167°E / 52.619056; 4.62167TowerConstructed1833Constructionbrick towerAutomated1990

Height28 metres (92 ft)Shapetapered cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern on one-story keeper's houseMarkingswhite tower, grey lantern and observation roomHeritageRijksmonument

LightFirst lit30 September 1834Focal height37 metres (121 ft)Intensitywhite: 45,000 cd
red: 41,000 cdRangewhite: 18 nautical miles (33 km)
red: 14 nautical miles (26 km)CharacteristicIso WR 10s.Netherlands no.NL-1476^[1]

The J.C.J. van Speijk Lighthouse is a lighthouse on the North Sea coast near Egmond aan Zee, in the municipality of Bergen, North Holland, in the Netherlands. The foundation of the lighthouse, shaped like a tomb, is the official Dutch memorial to Jan van Speyk, a hero to the Dutch people.^[2]

The treacherous sea near Egmond necessitated the construction of two lighthouses, which were built in 1833. The northside of the light is red to warn for dangerous shallows near the coast north of Egmond. As soon as a ship leaves the danger zone it sees the white light. The south tower, on the Torensduin, was deactivated in 1891 and demolished in 1915. The north tower is still there, and is declared a Rijksmonument.

Van Speijkmonument

The lighthouse was selected in 1834 as the national J.C.J van Speijkmonument, to honor the memory of the Dutch naval hero. The original idea was to build a new tower as a monument, but there were insufficient funds, so the existing tower was reconstructed. The monument was designed by Jan David Zocher and built by J. Bos from dimension stone.

After the construction of the North Sea Canal and the two lighthouses at its mouth, in IJmuiden, the van Speijk lighthouse was equipped with red windows, to avoid confusion. In 1891 it was equipped with a rotating light; in the same year, the south tower was extinguished.

In 1984, the 150th anniversary of the lighthouse and monument was celebrated; a commemorative booklet was published by the Museum van Egmond.^[3]

Timeline

1823: Decision to build a lighthouse is made
1833: Construction starts
1834: Construction finished, lighthouse keepers appointed, fire is lit
1838: Royal decree to renovate lighthouse
1841: Renovation as monument finished
1879: Light extinguished temporarily (15 February to 15 March)
1891: Rotating light installed
1915: Day screens removed
1922: Electric light installed, balcony redone in concrete, lighthouse renewed
1936: Characteristic changed to Iso 10s
1967: Lighthouse declared Rijksmonument

Webcams

The lighthouse has five webcams to keep an eye on the coast. The webcams can be accessed through visitegmond.nl.

Gallery

References

^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Northern Netherlands". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
^ "6250 euro voor stuk jas Van Speijk". RTV Noord-Holland. 22 September 2010. Archived from the original on 11 November 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
^ Eeltink, Jaap; Gerard Belleman (1984). Herdenking 150 jaar vuurtoren "J. C. J. van Speijk": 14 juli-20 augustus 1984 Egmond aan Zee. Stichting Museum van Egmond.