Sarandë, Albania
27 BCE - 14 AD
Sarandë, Albania
800 BCE
Durrës, Albania
2nd century AD
Fier, Albania
588 BCE
Durrës, Albania
0-100 AD
Tirana, Albania
3rd century AD
Pogradec, Albania
4th century AD
Bradashesh, Albania
2nd century AD
Vlorë, Albania
4th century AD
Dorëz, Albania
9th century BC
Gjirokaster, Albania
300-200 BCE
Postribë, Albania
1000 BCE
Vau i Dejës, Albania
6th 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.