Großbüllesheim Castle was first mentioned in records in 1402, in the fiefdom of the Duke of Jülich, enfeoffed to Reymer Spies von Büllesheim, whose descendants still flourish today as the Barons Spies von Büllesheim. Büllesheim castle was originally built in two parts next to a weir, as a knight's country seat. Of this only the gate-tower of the residential house remains, built onto the fore-castle. The fore-castle itself has undergone no major changes in 350 years, apart from minor renovation work. The buildings of the main castle preserved till today date back to the 17th century and underwent major transformations in the 19th century, so that now Büllesheim castle is no longer recognizable as the main castle. The moat is no longer visible, either, as it dried out and was filled in with sand and earth.
The castle was in the fiefdom of the Duke of Jülich until 1802, when the last Duke of Jülich, Ludwig von Brempt, died. From then on, it was no longer the country seat and rapidly fell into disrepair. Today only the three-winged fore-castle has been preserved. In 1867 the estate was bought by the Nettekoven family, who divided the land and farm and constructed a second residential house in 1886, so that now there are two distinct farms, separated by a wall.
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.