Gudarekhi village is notable for a nearby monastic complex and archaeological site. It is located in the Algeti Valley, some 8 km of the town Tetritsqaro, south of Georgia’s capital Tbilisi.
A large-scale archaeological research of the area was carried out in 1938 and 1939. It revealed the remnants of a medieval urban settlement with well-developed pottery production. The complex consists of a ruined palace, living premises, a wine cellar, a pilastered building, and several other structures which date from the 12th-13th and 16th-17th centuries.
To the south of the ruined settlement lies the monastery consisting of a single nave church and a free-standing two-storey bell-tower. The church was commissioned from the architect Chichaporisdze in the 13th century. It is built of well hewn stones, with richly incrustated and decorated façades. The church formerly possessed an avidly decorated iconostasis which is now on display at the Art Museum of Georgia in Tbilisi. The bell-tower was erected during the reign of Demetre II of Georgia in 1278. The complex was repaired in 2006.
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.