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Founded: c. 1466Category: Religious sites in Germany
Historical period: Habsburg Dynasty (Germany)
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St. Margaret's Church in Patzig was erected in 1381, but nothing is left of that original structure. The current church is a single-nave church, to which a wide, rib-vaulted parish hall was added later on. The granite font (c.1250) is probably a remnant of the original structure and possibly the oldest baptismal font in Rügen. The memorial slab for Peter von Patzig (†1339) has a carved drawing that shows the clergyman with a chalice and wafer. The pulpit and organ gallery were built in the 17th century. Patron's boxes and memorial slabs indicate the close relationship with the estates of aristocratic families in the parish of Patzig.
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.