Château de Lauquerie is a former fortress built in the 14th century by the Templars, erected to defend the borders of the Dordogne and the village of Lauzun. It was offered by Henri IV to his squire Sire François de Longueval for having served him faithfully for 30 years. Remained for several decades in the Longueval family, it was partially destroyed during the French Revolution, then became the property of the Lajaunie family from 1889 to 1989. Completely renovated in the 90s, it is nowadays a private residence converted into tourist accommodation.
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.