Een bouwhistorisch onderzoek naar de lichtopstanden en vuurtorens in de Neder- en Westerschelde - de Boer, Gertjan; Lombaerde, Piet, 1948- (Antwerpen, 2016)
Just imagine yourself on a steamship departing from London in the afternoon. Your destination is Antwerp. One hour later the dark sets in. The Scheldt, with all its curves, is too dangerous to navigate by night. In 1865 the Belgians knew that they had to make the port of Antwerp accessible by night. In order to solve this problem, they built a sophisticated system of lights in the Wester Scheldt. This masterthesis explains how they built this system of lights, and how it worked. It also tells the story of how this system of lights was constantly evolving; becoming more complicated and safer. This historical part of this thesis puts the system of lights also in a wider European perspective. It explains where the Belgians got the knowledge how to built it, and how other countries in Europe lighted up their main waterways. This part is extensively illustrated with historical building plans, photos and historical maps. This historical part is followed up by a present part. This section of the thesis focuses on the 189 navigation lights standing in the Wester Scheldt nowadays. This is followed up by a typological study. The lights with relatively high heritage values are examined more closely in the last pages of this part. The final part of this thesis explains how these lights are beginning to fade away. With fast pace dozens of lights are disappearing. This due to the technical revolution of the computer and GPS navigation. This part proposes a possible way to preserve ten valuable lights by giving them a new, touristic, function.
Master Monumenten- en Landschapszorg