Reflection of the lighthouse (Texel) by Wim van der Geest

About "Reflection of the lighthouse (Texel)"

by Wim van der Geest

About the artwork

At the northernmost tip of Texel stands the island's lighthouse. In the Eierlandse Gat, off the coast of Texel, many ships have perished over the centuries. That is why the Texel notary Johannes Ludovicus Kikkert pleaded for a lighthouse on the northern tip of the island. In 1863, construction work began on the lighthouse designed by Quirinus Harder, who also designed many other Dutch lighthouses. The lighthouse was built on a dune 20 meters high. The point of light is 53 meters above sea level. The luminous intensity is 2.85 million candelas and shines twice every 10 seconds. The light can be seen up to 29 nautical miles. The tower is unmanned. Surveillance of this part of the North Sea, the Eierlandse Gat and the Wadden Sea is carried out from the central point on Terschelling. During the summer and holidays, the tower is open to the public who can climb the 153 steps to enjoy the view.
There is a small exhibition in the tower. The tower played an important role at the end of the Second World War: Georgian prisoners of war had withdrawn from their German guards and entrenched themselves in the tower during the last part of the battle. The tower was then heavily shelled and had to be repaired after the war. This was done by building a tower around it. To this day, the holes resulting from the shelling can still be seen in the original tower wall.