Ron van Maanen (photographs made July 2007)
Lighthouses and comparable ships were centuries long of the hightest importance for sailors to find a reliable anchorage, to avoid dangerous coasts and where the safest fairways were. In the Netherlands were several lighthouses, sometimes especially built for this purpose, sometimes church-towers fitted out to serve for this purpose. The lighthouse at Katwijk was built in 1605 with a height above the 'midstand' of 25 meter. The flat roof was fitted out with a 'grate for a fire, in advance was wood', later coal used as fuel. Mid 19th century was a special house above the roof built to protect an oil-lamp with reflector. In 1901 was the tower extensively rebuilt, fitted out with an extra cover around the existing wall. When the main part of the fishing-fleet moved to Schevingen and IJmuiden around 1913, was the lighthouse of no longer use and decommissioned.
