Trebsen Castle was probably built by Slavic Gaugraf Bucelinin 991 AD to protect the former Muldefurt, an important trade route. The castle was first mentioned in a document dated in May 1, 1161.
In 1494 the knight Georg von Saalhausen demolished the old castle and started building a new more representative castle without a defensive function. Around 1511, the electoral chamberlain Hans von Minckwitz became lord of the castle on Trebsen. Hi and his son completed the first major construction phase as a four-wing complex with stepped gables and diamond vaults.
In 1736, the bourgeois merchant Vincent Bauman from Hamburg became the owner of the castle. In 1738 he had the mighty round tower almost 18 meters in diameter in the castle courtyard demolished for the most part. With its building material and with the inclusion of older ground floor buildings, the south wing was rebuilt, as indicated by the keystone above the gate entrance. Baumann also had the palace gardens laid out in the English style, with the baroque garden pavilion being created.
Today the castle hosts weddings and historic restaurant.
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.