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Salinillas de Buradón is a fortified town that keeps a great part of its defence walls. Due to its location, in the border of the Rioja Alavesa region, its defence was fundamental in the Middle Ages.
In 1264, the nobleman don Sancho ordered the movement of its population to its current location and the contruction of these walls, for which limestone was prominently used. In the 16th and 17th centuries, on the other hand, there was an important reform and some parts of the walls were changed. Some parts were demolished and the stones were used for the new constructions. The Northern entrance, with its special reduced arch, belongs to this time.
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.