at the end of the nineteenth century, a bomb-proof building and artillery battery were built on the island, but its five guns were moved to den helder in 1904. in 1959, it was delisted as a stronghold, but the last soldiers had left long before. in 1981, the island was listed as a rijksmonument, and in 1996, a bridge was built, which connected the island and the mainland. the fog signal was deactivated in 2001, and the light was extinguished in 2003, when the last lighthouse keeper retired. it was rekindled in 2005.