The castle of Spadafora was built at the end of the sixteenth century around a defensive tower by the Spadafora family to control the coasts. The tower was probably enlarged or rebuilt in the early 1500s. Four imposing trapezoidal-shaped corner spurs are surrounded by battlements, in whose interspaces the artillery were placed. In the angular ends of each spur stand the casemates, to protect the soldiers on guard.
Between 1654 and 1670 were carried out renovations that most likely changed the architectural features of the castle with insertion of rooms, doors and windows, iron grates and balconies, and the rebuilding of the ramparts. From the 18th century it was transformed into a noble residence.
Between the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the last century it was used as a private residence by the Samonà family, descendants of Princess Alessandra Spadafora Colonna.
After the loss of the Castle by the Samonà family, the building was abandoned and was for years the victim of the negligence of the successive administrations. It is currently owned by the Region. It returned to new life after the restoration of the Superintendency of Cultural Heritage of Messina, and hosts numerous cultural events.
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.