Bengtskär Lighthouse, Kimitoön, Finland

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. Finally, the lighthouse was re-opened in 1950.

Today the Bengtskär lighthouse is a popular tourist attraction providing a museum, varying exhibitions, cafe and accomodation services. The lighthouse is open for visitors every day between June 1st and August 31st. The shortest sea route to Bengtskär goes through the beautiful archipelago. The trip from Kasnäs to Bengtskär takes about an hour.

User Reviews

Dani Knoll (2 years ago)
A very beautiful and special place, marking one or the southernmost point of Finland. We took the boat from Rosala. It's a beautiful ride. The boat ride there was quite calm at the end of June. The ride back was quite rough due to the weather and big waves. Nevertheless, definitely worth a visit!

Hana B. Hamzah (2 years ago)
The whole journey from land to sea to the islet to witnessing the grandiose of the Bengtskär lighthouse was a wonderful experience. Yummy pulla at the cafe, good customer service.

Mark van Gils (2 years ago)
This is a must-visit if you are in the remote neighborhood: the views, the environment, the atmosphere…

Alex Kovachevich (4 years ago)
We had a great visit and totally enjoyed our night at the lighthouse. Food, sauna, room was all great. We had the good luck of having some strong winds in the morning which stopped boat traffic to the island meaning we had the island to ourselves. A real treat and fantastic experience. Fully recommend.

Yoto Yoto (4 years ago)
I spent a night at Bengtskär and it was simply amazing! The hosts were super friendly and even organized a english island tour for me, the food was delicious (vegetarian), especially the homemade buns at the after lunch coffee! The rooms were cozy and clean. The sauna in the evening was just a dream! The location... well you have the chance to spent a night in beautiful lighthouse on a beautiful island far away from everything, it can't get better than that! Yes it's pricy, but trust me you won't regret it. It's 100 percent worth it!

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

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