Sights in Texel

Lighthouse Texel

Lighthouse on Texel

The Eierland lighthouse is located at the northernmost point of the island of Texel. From the tower, about 45 meters above sea level, you have a beautiful view over Texel and the Wadden Sea. On the way up are various presentations about the history of the Eierland lighthouse. You will find information about the reason why the lighthouse was built and how it has worked over the past hundred years.

History of the lighthouse on Texel

The first stone was laid on 25 July 1863 by the designer Quirinus Harder. The tower was built on a twenty metre high dune and when the lighthouse was first lit on 1 November 1864, the distance between the tower and the sea was 3000 metres. In the Second World War the lighthouse was severely damaged. In 1945, the lighthouse played a central role in the uprising of Georgian prisoners that were war stationed on Texel. An exhibition has been set up about this at the Aviation and War Museum, at the Texel airport in Eierland. The damage can still be found on the lighthouse.

About the lighthouse on Texel

The name of the lighthouse on Texel is named after the former island of Eierland. In 1977 the tower was provided with a red plastic protective layer. This makes the tower visible during the day (in clear weather) till Terschelling, Harlingen, Den Oever and Den Helder. The light point of the lighthouse is 53 metres above N.A.P. The lamp is a mercury vapor lamp with a light intensity of 2.85 million candelas. This means that in the dark the light even reaches as far as Leeuwarden!

In the 90s the tower could be visited including a visit to the light house. But nowadays you can climb the tower to the sixth floor. And that is with about 45 meters height, a nice climb!