Sande Church, Sande i Vestfold, Norway

Photo from Flickr, copyright mixteri

Historic Site of the week

Bengtskär Lighthouse

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.

Jan H. Martin (5 years ago)
Not so much one can do while sitting in church, I fix my gaze on the pulpit and try to understand the one who painted the wall against the pulpit

Simon “SF 69” Fordham (5 years ago)
A little sad sight as the church is run down and not renovated.

Jorunn Fuglesteg (5 years ago)
Good

Sande Church

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Historic Site of the week

Bengtskär Lighthouse