Maasvlakte Light is an inactive

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 ...

Maasvlakte The Maasvlakte () is a massive man-made westward extension of the Europoort port and industrial facility within the Port of Rotterdam. Situated in the municipality of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, the Maasvlakte is built on land reclaimed fr ...

, an industrial area in the city of

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

, the

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 the twelfth-tallest "traditional lighthouse" in the world, as well as the second-tallest concrete lighthouse in the world, and the tallest Dutch lighthouse. The lighthouse is located behind the dunes and sea dike protecting

Europoort Europoort (, en, Eurogate, also "Europort") is an area of the Port of Rotterdam and the adjoining industrial area in the Netherlands. Being situated at Southside of the mouth of the rivers Rhine and Meuse with the hinterland consisting of the ...

, on the south side of the mouth of the Maas. It marks the entrance to the

Nieuwe Waterweg The Nieuwe Waterweg ("New Waterway") is a ship canal in the Netherlands from het Scheur (a branch of the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta) west of the town of Maassluis to the North Sea at Hook of Holland: the Maasmond, where the Nieuwe Waterweg conn ...

. The light was first lit on September 19, 1974. The lens were transferred from the old Hoek van Holland High Light (the old rear range light) which was decommissioned in 1974. The light was deactivated on October 31, 2008, due to changes in the

harbour A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

reducing its usefulness. The

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

antenna is still in service. The tower has 295 steps. The site is accessible, but the tower is closed to the public.

References

* * Lighthouses in South Holland Lighthouses completed in 1974 1974 establishments in the Netherlands Towers in Rotterdam 20th-century architecture in the Netherlands {{Netherlands-lighthouse-stub

See also

References