Engelbourg Castle was built around 1224 by Count Frederick II of Ferette to guard the entrance to Thur Valley. It was severely damaged a few centuries later during the Thirty Years' War and destroyed on the orders of Louis XIV in 1673, when its strategic role was no longer valid.
The main tower broke into several sections.The main part fell on its side looking towards the town of Thann, and this is what we call the Witch's Eye, as it seems to stare at the roofs in the village and off into the horizon.
Today, it can be reached by a steep stairway in about 20 minutes or by a walk through the vineyards in about 40 minutes. It is worth making the effort as you will have a magnificent panorama over the valley, the collegiate church and the town of Thann.
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.