Växjö Cathedral was built as a single-nave stone church around 1120. According the legend the Cathedral was built on the spot where St. Sigfrid founded a wooden church. His relics were kept here until the Reformation, when they were destroyed.
The cathedral burnt down the first time in 1276 and has since been renovated numerous times. The lofty copper clad twin spires of the cathedral give Växjö a very special profile. The interior is quite modern, the oldest item is an altar screen dating from 1779. A Viking rune stone from the 12th century can also be seen adjacent to the cathedral´s eastern wall.
References:Towering 52 meters above the sea, Bengtskär lighthouse is the tallest one in Scandinavia. The building started in in 1905 after the shipwreck of S/S Helsingfors and was completed in 1906. The lighthouse was designed by architect Florentin Granholm. On December a special petrol lantern, designed and built in Paris, was brought to Bengtskär and installed atop the tower.
German fleet bombarded Bengstkär in the First World War in 1914. Since the Gulf of Finland was heavily mined, it was not until 1919 that the surrounding seas were declared safe for shipping, that the light was lit again.
After the war the military value of Bengtskär increased as part of the defence system of independent Finland. In Second World War (1941) Soviet Union made a suprise attack to island. After a bloody battle, the small Finnish garrison emerged victorious. Intermittent repairs to the facility continued during the post-war period.