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Ebelsberg Castle is located in the south of Linz. Due to its elevated position on the Schiltenberg, the castle can be seen from far above the city. The quadrangular, two-storey complex around a trapezoidal inner courtyard with its now smooth fronts no longer gives much indication of the former late medieval luxury of the Passau bishop's seat.
Ebelsberg Castle gained military-historical significance during the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon himself had pointed out the strategic location of Ebelsberg. In the course of the 'Battle of Ebelsberg' on May 3, 1809, a fierce battle developed around the castle, which, like the market, went up in flames.
The battle of Ebelsberg is depicted in three dioramas. The Military History Collection in the Ebelsberg Castle provides a survey of the development of small firearms and handguns from the 18th century to the present. The collection focuses on the weapons and arming of the armies at war in World War I. There is also an extensive and informative exhibition of items from the navy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire including numerous model ships recalling this era.
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.