Växbo was the center of cotton manufacturing in Sweden in 1700s and 1800s. The factory, still used in summer season, is well-preserved. You can see a beautifully preserved watermill complete with dam and millpond. There are guided tours of the mill and the surrounding area. The miller’s house has been converted into a restaurant, where you can eat in idyllic surroundings. There is a mill museum where you can learn more about the history of the place, together with an old pottery and smith’s forge. A barn sells high quality handicraft products.
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.