Nieuwe Sluis
Encyclopedia
Nieuwe Sluis is a lighthouse
in the Nieuwesluis community, a few miles west of Breskens
, Netherlands
. Designed by Quirinus Harder
, it was built between 1866 and 1867. The octagonal, black and white tower marks the entrance to the Westerschelde. The tower is 28,4 meters tall and consists of five stories. It is part of a series of lights marking the end of the Schelde river and guide traffic between the North Sea
and the harbor of Antwerp.
Nieuwe Sluis is the oldest extant cast iron
lighthouse in the Netherlands after the one in Renesse
was demolished in 1915. Initially it was yellow, then it received red-white bands, before it was painted black and white. The lens assembly was made by the French company of Barbier, Bénard & Turenne, and includes a copper cupola. Initially it was the first in a series of leading lights
. During World War II
the lighthouse was deactivated and covered in camouflage paint; it was not reactivated until 1951.
Originally the lighthouse stood on top of the dike, but when that dike was raised as part of the Delta Works
the lighthouse ended up on the seaside.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
in the Nieuwesluis community, a few miles west of Breskens
Breskens
Breskens is a harbour town on the Westerschelde in the municipality of Sluis in the province of Zeeland, in the south-western Netherlands. Its population is 4,280 ....
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Designed by Quirinus Harder
Quirinus Harder
Quirinus Harder was a Dutch architect best known for having designed a large number of lighthouses. He worked as a structural engineer for the Loodswezen, the Dutch organization overseeing all maritime pilots...
, it was built between 1866 and 1867. The octagonal, black and white tower marks the entrance to the Westerschelde. The tower is 28,4 meters tall and consists of five stories. It is part of a series of lights marking the end of the Schelde river and guide traffic between the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
and the harbor of Antwerp.
Nieuwe Sluis is the oldest extant cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
lighthouse in the Netherlands after the one in Renesse
Renesse
Renesse is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland, and lies about 28 km west of Hellevoetsluis.Renesse is a popular tourist resort with zero-fare bus services in the area ....
was demolished in 1915. Initially it was yellow, then it received red-white bands, before it was painted black and white. The lens assembly was made by the French company of Barbier, Bénard & Turenne, and includes a copper cupola. Initially it was the first in a series of leading lights
Leading lights
Leading lights are a pair of light beacons, used in navigation to indicate a safe passage for vessels entering a shallow or dangerous channel; and may also be used for position fixing. At night, the lights are a form of leading line that can be used for safe navigation...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the lighthouse was deactivated and covered in camouflage paint; it was not reactivated until 1951.
Originally the lighthouse stood on top of the dike, but when that dike was raised as part of the Delta Works
Delta Works
The Delta Works is a series of construction projects in the southwest of the Netherlands to protect a large area of land around the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta from the sea. The works consist of dams, sluices, locks, dikes, levees, and storm surge barriers...
the lighthouse ended up on the seaside.