Porvoo, Finland
14th century
Helsinki, Finland
13th century
Rauma, Finland
1500 - 500 B.C.
Inari, Finland
Suomussalmi, Finland
3000-100 B.C
Kristiinankaupunki, Finland
120,000-130,000 B.C.
Raahe, Finland
2700-2200 B.C.
Salo, Finland
ca. 900-1100 AD
Ristiina, Finland
3000 - 2500 BC
Kökar, Finland
1000 BC
Kuhmoinen, Finland
12th century
Turku, Finland
12th century
Kokemäki, Finland
1324
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.