Alange Castle was built by the Arabs in the 9th century on a rocky hill, over the Matachel River, on the banks of the Alange reservoir. This defence fortress is at a strategic point from which access to the Silver Way was controlled. Its inaccessibility makes it a privileged place. It was witness to numerous battles and sieges between Moors and Christians.
The castle was conquered by Christians during Reconquista in the mid-13th century. It was abandoned in 1550. Although the castle was a great fortress, nowadays only three towers and the keep, made of strong brick walls and with numerous windows with horseshoe-shaped arches, remain. Some wells from the Islamic period are also preserved.
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.