Explore the historic highlights of Kaunas
Kaunas, Lithuania
1863
Kaunas, Lithuania
1759
Kaunas, Lithuania
1542
Kaunas, Lithuania
1440
Kaunas, Lithuania
c. 1413
Kaunas, Lithuania
c. 1350
Kaunas, Lithuania
15th century
Kaunas, Lithuania
c. 1400
Kaunas, Lithuania
1891-1895
Kaunas, Lithuania
1879
Kaunas, Lithuania
15th century
Kaunas, Lithuania
1662-1712
Kaunas, Lithuania
1862
Kaunas, Lithuania
1685-1700
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.