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Founded: 13th centuryCategory: Religious sites in Germany
Historical period: Hohenstaufen Dynasty (Germany)
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St. John’s Church in Schaprode from the early 13th century is one of the oldest buildings in the area. The Romanesque choir with the apse and parts of the Eastern wall of the (formerly) three-aisle nave have been preserved in their original state. The four-bay, rib-vaulted nave was constructed after 1450. The oldest features include tomb slabs from 1369 and 1403. The late Gothic triumphal cross ensemble on the roof beam (around 1500) is particularly spectacular. The sculptor Hans Broder and the painter Franz Rose created the pulpit, the confessional and probably also the baptismal font in 1723. The Baroque three-storey altarpiece with scenes from the life of Christ was added in 1730. The distinctive church tower can be seen for miles and has been used by seafarers as a landmark for centuries.
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.