Lighthouse 'Paard van Marken' by Arno Prijs

About "Lighthouse 'Paard van Marken'"

by Arno Prijs

About the artwork

The Marken Lighthouse, popularly known as the Marken Horse, was designed by Jan Valk and built in 1839 and stands on the eastern tip of the island of Marken. The lighthouse has a height of 16 meters and a light range of 9 nautical miles.

The tower started in 1700 as a square lighthouse. This was one of three lighthouses near Marken, De Ven and Hoek van 't IJ which was decided in 1699 to mark the route from the Wadden Sea to Amsterdam. The lighthouses were equipped with oil lamps according to the design of Jan van der Heyden.

In 1839 the square stone tower was replaced by a round iron one on the old foundation. Later, a brick building with a dwelling and storage room were built on the lighthouse, which gave the tower its characteristic shape.

In 1884 the tower received a fog-bell. The hammers were driven by a clockwork, with drop weight in the tower. In 1919, the fog bell was replaced by a foghorn, for which an engine room was built between the lighthouse and the house.

The lighthouse regularly suffers from creeping ice. In 1971 this was so bad that the lighthouse was pushed a few centimetres from its place. The lighthouse next to the tower is inhabited.

In 1992 the old light house was replaced by a new one. Today, the old light house can be found on the site of the rescue brigade near the port of Marken.

Since 1970 the tower has had the status of a national monument.