Still standing strong....

by Natascha Worseling

The Kijkduin lighthouse, called "The Long Jaap" by the inhabitants of Den Helder: Construction of the Lange Jaap began in 1877 and it was put into use in 1878. The sixteen-sided tower is entirely made of cast iron plates with an upright edge which are screwed together, making the lighthouse very heavy (506,100 kg of cast iron). The designer of the lighthouse was Quirinus Harder.

Since the end of 2021 our lighthouse de Lange Jaap has been the subject of research and conversation. Research showed that the lighthouse is almost 'on the verge of falling over'. Last week, the owner of the lighthouse, Rijkswaterstaat, announced that they are making a final attempt to see if the Lange Jaap can be shored up. Rijkswaterstaat is working on this together with the Cultural Heritage Agency. They have asked experts to investigate this as a matter of urgency. If it is possible to shore up the lighthouse, further research can be done to see if Lange Jaap can be saved.