Medina de las Torres Castle origins date back to the 14th-16th centuries. It was built on a low hilltop by the Order of Santiago in the 14th century as the headquarters of the Encomienda de Medina de las Torres.
In spite of having been restored on a number of occasions, this fortress is in quite a deteriorated condition. Even so, you can still appreciate the remains of the masonry ramparts, with a ditch and towers at the sides for the defence of this elliptically shaped castle. The entrance is on the southeast side, protected by two square towers. The main access to the interior was flanked by one circular tower and another which was semicircular. In this area there were storerooms, stables and a chapel, as well as a water cistern.
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.