Lange Jaap ("Tall Jacob"), also known as Kijkduin Light or Den Helder Light, is an active

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

near

Fort Kijkduin A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

Huisduinen Huisduinen () is a village in the Netherlands, Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Den Helder, and lies about 2 km west of Den Helder. History The village was first mentioned between 918 and 948 as Husidina ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. At a height of it is one of the tallest "traditional lighthouses" in the world. For almost a century, from 1878 to 1974, it was the tallest lighthouse in the Netherlands, until the construction of the Maasvlakte Light. According to ''The Lighthouse Directory'' it is the tallest non-skeletal cast iron lighthouse in the world. The site used to be open and accessible to visitors. Due to safety concerns, the tower itself has been closed to the public since 1998. Since September 2021, an area with a radius of 70 meters around the lighthouse is fenced off due to concerns that the tower may topple over.

History

The first aid to navigation at the site was a simple coal-fire light from 1814, at Fort Kijkduin, a few hundred meters north of the current tower. In 1822 the construction of the first tower was completed and it was first lit on 29 October 1822. The tower was a -tall, six-storey brick tower. The light consisted of 26

Argand lamp The Argand lamp is a type of oil lamp invented in 1780 by Aimé Argand. Its output is 6 to 10 candelas, brighter than that of earlier lamps. Its more complete combustion of the candle wick and oil than in other lamps required much less frequent ...

s with parabolic reflectors, visible at a distance of up to . Cracks in the building foundation were repaired twice, in 1826 and 1827. In 1853 the light was replaced by an Argand lamp lens system with fixed

Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens developed by the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827) for use in lighthouses. It has been called "the invention that saved a million ships." The design allows the c ...

. The construction of the second and current lighthouse started in 1877 and its first illumination was on 1 April 1878. The first lens system was a stationary lens with

s from the old tower. In 1903 this was replaced with a Barbier and F.B. rotational system, with Mercury bearings. It used incandescent kerosene and had an intensity of 1,200,000 cd. Its characteristic was 2 flashes every 10s and was visible for "20 English miles". In 1912 an improved pharoline incandescent light was installed. The light was electrified in 1924 and a Brandaris 80V 50A lamp was fitted. In 1940, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, this light system was destroyed. During the war the lighthouse was painted in

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

-colours. An emergency light was installed in 1945, with an intensity of 62,000 cd. On September 2, 1949 the current 920mm 1st order

was installed. In 1988 the site was listed as a

Rijksmonument A rijksmonument (, ) is a national heritage site of the Netherlands, listed by the agency Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE) acting for the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. At the end of February 2015, the Netherlands ...

. The cupola and lantern pane were replaced in 1992; the old shell is displayed outdoors in the royal dockyard of Willemsoord in Den Helder. In 1998 the lighthouse was closed to the public due to cracks on the cast-iron floors. Although it was refurbished in 1999 and a new coat of paint was applied, it is unlikely that the tower will be reopened, especially due to more stringent safety regulations introduced after the

Volendam Volendam () is a fishing town in the municipality of Edam-Volendam, province of North Holland, Netherlands. As of 1 January 2021, it has a population of 22,715. It is twinned with Coventry, England. History Originally, Volendam was the location o ...

café disaster and the formation of the

Dutch Safety Board The Dutch Safety Board (DSB; nl, Onderzoeksraad voor Veiligheid, OVV, literally "Investigation Council for Safety") is an organisation based in The Hague, Netherlands.Quirinus Harder Quirinus Johan Harder (13 October 1801, in Rotterdam – 21 October 1880, in Vlissingen) was a Dutch architect best known for having designed a large number of lighthouses. He worked as a structural engineer for the Loodswezen, the Dutch organizat ...

and prefabricated by Penn & Bauduin in

Dordrecht Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a city and municipality in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the province's fifth-largest city after R ...

. It was constructed from 1,088 iron plate and 21,446 nuts and bolts.

In popular culture

Lange Jaap is the subject of the song "Onze Lange Jaap" by Jan Helder.

References

* * * * {{Authority control Lighthouses completed in 1822 Lighthouses completed in 1878 Lighthouses in North Holland Den Helder Rijksmonuments in North Holland 1822 establishments in the Netherlands

History

In popular culture

See also

References