Name and Location

Stenen Baak, also known as the Stone Beacon, is located in Voorne aan Zee, province of South Holland, Netherlands. The address is Brielse Maas 1, 3233 LD Oostvoorne.

Construction and History

The Stenen Baak was built in 1725 by the Dutch Republic to mark the waters of the Brielse Maas. It is one of the few surviving inland beacons of its period. Over its nearly 300-year history, it has witnessed the growth of surrounding villages, the rerouting of shipping lanes, and various adaptations of the local waterway.

Architecture and Materials

The tower is made of local quarried stone laid in lime mortar. It is a tapered cylindrical structure with minimal buttressing, typical of early inland beacons. The original lantern apparatus is no longer extant.

Light and Navigation

Although no longer essential to modern maritime navigation, the Stenen Baak remains a tangible link to the Netherlands' Golden Age of inland shipping and sluice-works.

Accessibility and Visiting

The grounds are freely accessible. However, interior entry and guided tours are not regularly offered, as there is no visitor center on site. The surrounding area is popular with birdwatchers, cyclists, and walkers along the Brielse Maas dijk.

Notable Views and Landscape

The Stenen Baak stands amidst open marshland and tidal creeks, offering a unique landscape for visitors to enjoy.

Anecdotes and Folklore

No anecdotes or folklore are documented in publicly available sources.

Technical and Operational Details

No technical or operational details are documented in publicly available sources.

Further Information

For more information, visit the Dutch National Monuments register (RCE) entry no. 38887, Wikidata: Q2577060, Dutch Wikipedia: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stenen_Baak, and Photograph: “Brielle_Stenen_Baak_2010” (Wikimedia Commons).