LIGHTHOUSE DE VEN

During the Golden Age, there was a need for well-visible landmarks on the important shipping route to Amsterdam. A journey over the Zuiderzee was certainly not without danger. The many shallows were notorious. The ships had to follow a route marked with buoys. Initially, this consisted of actual buoys on poles. Heavy storms, darkness, and fog caused many ships to be wrecked in the Zuiderzee after a long journey with the harbor in sight.
In 1700, the States of Holland and West Friesland decided to establish 'Suydersee Fire Beacons' near Durgerdam, Marken, and Enkhuizen. The lighthouse De Ven near Enkhuizen became a white square brick tower, about fifteen meters high. It is one of the oldest lighthouses in the Netherlands. The tower stood outside the dike, which meant that the basement floor regularly flooded during high tide and unfavorable winds. Therefore, the entrance to the ground floor was made about two meters high, accessible via a stone staircase. By moving the dike, the lighthouse was positioned inside the dike.

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