Lighthouse of Knokke

The Lighthouse of Knokke was a coastal beacon that guided ships along the Belgian coast for eighty years before it was demolished in the mid-20th century. Although the tower itself is gone, its story is closely tied to the development of the seaside town of Knokke-Heist, and the site it once occupied still marks a recognizable spot on the local map.

Why was a lighthouse needed here at all?

The answer lies in the geography just offshore. A sandbank known as De Paardenmarkt sits close to the coast at Knokke, and ships ran aground on it with worrying regularity. Through the 19th century the problem grew worse as traffic to and from the port of Antwerp increased — more and more vessels needed to navigate the channel leading toward the mouth of the Scheldt, and without proper signaling, the number of shipwrecks kept climbing.

Before a permanent lighthouse existed, a temporary fix was put in place in 1854, when the Belgian navy stationed an iron vessel converted into a floating observation and light ship off the Paardenmarkt sandbank. The timing was no coincidence: international tensions surrounding the Crimean War had made safe navigation along this stretch of the North Sea a matter of added strategic concern.

Building a permanent lighthouse

A lasting solution came in 1870, when authorities decided to construct an actual lighthouse. Construction ran from 1871 to 1872, with the tower rising among the dunes. Its main purpose was to help ships locate the mouth of the Scheldt, a critical navigational reference point for traffic heading toward Antwerp.

The lighthouse stood on the site now occupied by the municipal tourist office, along the Zeedijk, on what is today known as Lichttorenplein — a name that directly references the old lighthouse, since "licht" means "light" and "toren" means "tower" in Dutch.

What happened to it?

The Lighthouse of Knokke served its purpose for eighty years, until it was torn down in 1952 to make way for a town square — the aforementioned Lichttorenplein — and a tourist office. That first tourist office was itself replaced in 2007 by a new building whose architecture deliberately echoes the outline of the old lighthouse, keeping the memory of the structure visible to residents and visitors alike.

Is this the same lighthouse as the "High Lighthouse" in Heist?

It's worth clearing up a common point of confusion. The Lighthouse of Knokke described here is an entirely different structure from the so-called High Lighthouse of Heist, built between 1905 and 1907 as one of the very first all-concrete structures in Belgium, decorated with Art Nouveau details and brick patterns. That second lighthouse survives to this day and was officially reinaugurated after restoration in 2005. The Knokke lighthouse discussed above was an earlier structure, and it was completely demolished by the middle of the 20th century.

Frequently asked questions

Can visitors still see the Lighthouse of Knokke today? No — the structure no longer exists. It was demolished in 1952, and the municipal tourist office of Knokke-Heist now stands on the site.

Where exactly did the lighthouse stand? Along the Zeedijk, on the square now known as Lichttorenplein, in Knokke-Heist.

When was the lighthouse built? It was constructed between 1871 and 1872, following a decision taken the year before, in 1870.

What was the lighthouse's purpose? It helped ships safely locate the mouth of the Scheldt and warned of the dangerous De Paardenmarkt sandbank, where shipwrecks had become increasingly common.