Oldest Lighthouse in the Netherlands

Ready to dive into the history of Egmond? Then check out the J.C.J. van Speijk lighthouse.

This is one of the oldest lighthouses in the Netherlands that is still active! So it's definitely worth a visit!

A Smashing Goodbye

The historic lighthouse of Egmond aan Zee is almost 200 years old! The tower was built in 1833, is 37 meters high and is called J.C.J. van Speijk. Because the light­house is so old it's a registered monument, and just like any monument there's quite a story behind it! Van Speijk used to be a lieutenant at sea who would rather explode his own ship in 1831 than surrender to the Belgian enemy. On 5 February he set fire to his stock of gunpowder on board. This not only killed him but also his 25 crew members and several Belgian enemies. 

The lighthouse was financed from the proceeds of the remains of the lost ship and the personal belongings of the crew. The lighthouse was designed by J.D. Zocher, built by J. Bos and the architect was J. Valk and is made of natural stone. Could it be a coincidence that the names of all the parties involved with the rook start with a J...?

Hey, did you know?

The lighthouse has not always been 38m high. In 1838 the lighthouse was extended by 1.5m. The appearance has not always looked like this, it was only renovated in 1841 to the design of J.D. Zocher. It was modified in 1968, when a lookout was added.

Foto: Tuxyso / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

  Vuurtoren J.C.J. van Speijk
Address: Vuurtorenplein 1, Egmond
Online: egmondaanzee.org

J.C.J. van Speijk Lighthouse