Penella Castle is located about 7 km from Cocentaina in the province of Alicante, Spain. It was built in the 13th century, occupying the entirety of a limestone rock with vertical walls on its north side. The castle is named after the area where it is situated.
This castle belongs to the category of rural castles or fortified manor houses from the early Christian period. In 1271, King James I granted Ponç Guillem de Villafranca the villages of Peniella and Forminyàn, authorizing him to build a castle on the rock of Peniella.
Currently, the keep of the castle can be seen, with a square plan measuring 4 meters per side and 12 meters in height. The top of the keep is crenellated. Attached to the keep is a square-shaped building, which is also crenellated.
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.