Skip to main content
Home

Main navigation

  • Top stories
  • Health
  • Crime
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Tech
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Weird
  • 1-1-2
Image
Lighthouse at the Maasvlakte in Rotterdam
Lighthouse at the Maasvlakte in Rotterdam - Credit: Photo: Joris / Wikimedia Commons
Business
lighthouse
Rotterdam
Maasvlakte
Port of Rotterdam
Port of Rotterdam Authority
dutch government
Dutch Lighthouse Association
Johan Bol
Groenlinks
Bas Kurvers
Wednesday, 31 October 2018 - 14:20
Share this:
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
  • reddit

Netherlands' tallest lighthouse may be demolished

The Port of Rotterdam Authority and the national government are currently considering what to do with the no longer used lighthouse on the Maasvlakte in Rotterdam - the tallest lighthouse in the Netherlands. Dismantling and breaking it down is one of the options being examined. The Dutch Lighthouse Association is against this and thinks the lighthouse should get the status of a monument, NOS reports.

The yellow and black striped lighthouse is almost 45 years old and stands 65 meters tall. Remarkably, the lighthouse is surrounded by land. The sea water that used to stand next to it made way for land when the Tweede Maasvlakte was constructed.

"Ten years ago the light went out. Literally. The lighthouse lost its function", Johan Bol, chairman of the Dutch Lighthouse Association said to NOS. Since 2008 the lighthouse was used as a radar scanner for the Coast Guard. But now a new radar tower has been built on the edge of the Tweede Maasvlakte, and the lighthouse is no longer in use.

"It is still worth preserving as a monument. It is, for example, the last lighthouse built. The need for lighthouses disappeared with the arrival of automatic positioning on ships. Ships no longer have to navigate on the light of lighthouses like they did in the 19th century", Bol said to the broadcaster. "So no new lighthouses will be built. It is also the highest lighthouse and the only one made of reinforced concrete. In addition, it also tells the story of the development of the port of Rotterdam."

Bol thinks opening the lighthouse to the public would be a good idea. "Futureland, which is close by here, could take over the exploitation. I think you have a beautiful view of the Maasvlakte from the top."

GroenLinks posed written questions to the Rotterdam city council about the possible dismantling of the lighthouse. Alderman Bas Kurvers promised to investigate the cultural-historical value of the structure, according to NOS.

Follow us:

Latest stories

  • Eredivisie: PSV and Ajax win comfortably
  • Ter Apel asylum seekers spend another night outdoors, COA unable to find beds
  • Community service for rioters at Zwolle farmers’ protest
  • Solar panel waiting time stretches to six months; Heat pump delays rising
  • Dutch holidaymakers see more fatal accidents this year
  • Camil A., convicted in quadruple murder, dies in prison

Top stories

  • Officially warmest August 14 since measurements began
  • NS on track for record year of delays, malfunctions; Plans underway for faster Airport Sprinter
  • Dutch publisher to reprint Rushdie's 'Satanic Verses'
  • Body of missing Overveen swimmer found; Man dies while swimming in in Haringvliet
  • Netherlands sees first official heat wave in two years, municipalities unprepared
  • Body found in water in Venlo, police investigate cause of death

© 2012-2022, NL Times, All rights reserved.

Footer menu

  • Privacy
  • Contact
  • Partner content