Lisbon, Portugal
11th century
Lisbon, Portugal
1514
Sintra, Portugal
8th century
Braga, Portugal
11th century
Guimarães, Portugal
10th century AD
Idanha-a-Nova, Portugal
1171
Porto, Portugal
1570
Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal
13th century
Caminha, Portugal
13th century
Ponte da Barca, Portugal
13th century
Melgaço, Portugal
1170
Viana do Castelo, Portugal
16th century
Caminha, Portugal
1640-1668
Melgaço, Portugal
9th century AD
Póvoa de Lanhoso, Portugal
11th century
Monção, Portugal
1306
Monção, Portugal
14th century
Celorico de Basto, Portugal
11th century
Ponte de Lima, Portugal
16th century
Barcelos, Portugal
10th century AD
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.