The Ducal Palace of Gandia was, from the 14th century, the residence of the Royal Dukes of Gandía, and from 1485, the Borja (Borgia) family. It was the birthplace of Saint Francis Borja.
The oldest part of the building dates from the 15th century in Valencian Gothic style, but was restored and turned into a sanctuary by the Society of Jesus. It is attached to the wall that surrounds the city and has two gates, a Gothic one and one from the Renaissance.
Its remarkable interior has some interesting spaces, like the Golden Gallery, made in Baroque style, and the Crown Hall.
Initially the Palace was designed as a civil Gothic style urban castle and was ultimately transformed into a comfortable fortified palace. The main entrance to the Palacio Ducal is a robust door with a rounded arch, which together with the hallways are the oldest elements of the Gothic palace. You enter from this area and there is an imposing central parade ground with an impressive exterior staircase by which you ascend to the halls, among which the Baroque style Salón de Coronas and Galeria Dorada are notable.
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.