In the first polder of what later became the province Flevoland, there were three air watch towers in the 1950s and 1960s. They bore the names 6K1, 6K2 and 6K3, which in practice were called Karel 1 to 3 when reported. The Karel 1 was located on the former island of Urk, next to the Kerkje aan de Zee.
Most of the air watchtowers were demolished from the mid-1960s onwards, as the arrival of fighter jets that could intercept enemy aircraft as well as improved radar technology meant that the air watchtowers and their crews were no longer needed.
The air watch tower on Urk also no longer exi…
In the first polder of what later became the province Flevoland, there were three air watch towers in the 1950s and 1960s. They bore the names 6K1, 6K2 and 6K3, which in practice were called Karel 1 to 3 when reported. The Karel 1 was located on the former island of Urk, next to the Kerkje aan de Zee.
Most of the air watchtowers were demolished from the mid-1960s onwards, as the arrival of fighter jets that could intercept enemy aircraft as well as improved radar technology meant that the air watchtowers and their crews were no longer needed.
The air watch tower on Urk also no longer exists. But the foundations, a concrete basin 1.80 metres deep, did remain. The municipality of Urk later reshaped those foundations with decorative paving, exactly at the location of the old tower. An information panel was also placed near the foundations on the initiative of the Cultuurhistorisch Centrum Noordoostpolder and Stichting Canon De Noordoostpolder. This keeps the memory of the air watchtower alive.
