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Founded: 17th centuryCategory: Palaces, manors and town halls in Germany
Historical period: Thirty Years War & Rise of Prussia (Germany)
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Flamersheim castle has the appearance of a baroque castle. Over many centuries it was extended to the present complex of buildings. Its origins date back to the 9th century. King Ludwig of the Germans christened his castle 'villa regia nomine Flamersheim' in 870, so that it was mentioned in records long ago.
Until the 16th century the castle was preserved on its original ground-plan, which is unrecognizable today. In the 17th century the castle was converted into a baroque country palace by the Quandt von Landskron family, who had acquired the castle through the Palandt.
After the Quandt family, the castle was privately owned for a long time. The son of an Elberfeld industrialist's widow was ennobled in 1884; his descendants are still the owners of the castle today.
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.