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Founded: 1808-1810Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Latvia
Historical period: Part of the Russian Empire (Latvia)
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The neoclassical Laidi Palace was completed in 1810 by a nobleman von Manteifel, who aqcuired the estate to his daughter Johanna von Lambsdorff. The history of estate began however from the 16th century, when it was owned by the bishop of Courland. The palace has housed the Laidi primary school since 1921.
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.