Netherlands, Urk.
Urk is a village in the Flevoland province in the central Netherlands.
Urk is first mentioned in historical records dating to the 10th century, when it was still an island in the Almere, a lake that would become part of the Zuiderzee in the 13th century after a series of incursions by the North Sea.
In 1939, a dike from the mainland to Urk ended its island status, just as the Afsluitdijk project was changing the salt water Zuiderzee surrounding Urk to the less saline IJsselmeer. Later in the 20th century, seabed areas surrounding Urk were reclaimed from the sea and became the Noordoostpolder.
From 1617 a coal fire was used for the local fishermen as well as for the ships sailing from Amsterdam to the North Sea. The current lighthouse tower was built in 1845 as a round brick tower attached to a keeper's house. A Fresnel lens is still in use.
Image made with kite and camera (attached to the kite line). © Tom Kisjes
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