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Bengtskär lighthouse
Bengtskär

The lighthouse in 2009
Location	Bengtskär, Dragsfjärd, Kimitoön, Finland
Coordinates	59°43′24″N 22°29′57″E / 59.723436°N 22.499276°E / 59.723436; 22.499276
Tower
Constructed	1906
Construction	granite (tower), brick
Automated	1968
Height	45.8 m (150 ft)
Shape	cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern attached to 3-1/2-story keeper's house
Markings	grey (tower), green (lantern), red (balcony)
Power source	kerosene, acetylene, wind turbine
Operator	University of Turku
Heritage	Cultural Heritage Site of National Significance
Light
First lit	19 December 1906
Focal height	51 m (167 ft)
Range	10 nmi (19 km; 12 mi)
Characteristic	Fl(3) W 20s (1994–)

Bengtskär Lighthouse is located in the Archipelago Sea about 25 kilometers south west of Hanko, Finland. The lighthouse was built in 1906 on the Bengtskär skerry where it rises 52 meters above sea level and is the highest one in the Nordic countries. The lighthouse had been planned for some time, but after the steamer s/s Helsingfors ran aground in 1905 in the vicinity en route from Lübeck to Helsinki resulting in several crew members trapped and drowned on board, the project gained urgency and was completed during the following year. Soviet troops stationed in Hanko during the Continuation War, disturbed by a Finnish observation post in the light house tried to blow up and destroy the lighthouse during the Battle of Bengtskär in 1941.

These days Bengtskär Lighthouse is a popular tourist destination and is visited annually by roughly 13,000 to 15,000 tourists. There are some hotel rooms, and a sauna made of granite.

See also

• Battle of Bengtskär

References

1. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Southwest Finland". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
2. "Position". Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
3. "History". Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
4. "Tiesitkö: Tämä on erikoisin paikka, missä Suomi ja Neuvostoliitto sotivat". 19 October 2010. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
5. "Meet Paula – the Bengtskär Lighthouse keeper". Visit Finland. Archived from the original on 1 November 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2017.

External links

• Bengtskär Lighthouse website (in Swedish, Finnish, and English)
• Bengtskär Lighthouse in Lighthouse Digest's Lighthouse Explorer Database

v t e Lighthouses of Finland
Italics indicate inactive sites.
Gulf of Finland	Glosholm Gustavsvärn Harmaja Helsinki Jussarö Kalbådagrund Kotka Längden Pohjoisrivi Porvoo Russarö Rönnskär Suomenlinna Söderskär Tainio Tiiskeri
Baltic Sea	Bogskär Lion of Finland
Archipelago Sea and the Sea of Åland	Bengtskär Flötjan Gustaf Dalén Kökarsören Lågskär Marhällan Märket Nyhamn Sälskär Utö
Bothnian Sea	Isokari Kaijakari Kallo Kristiina Kylmäpihlaja Merikarvia Pori Rauma Sandbäck Säppi Yttergrund
Bothnian Bay	Jakobstad Kallan Kemi I Kemi II Keminkraaseli Kokkola Marjaniemi Nahkiainen Norrskär Oulu 1 Oulu 2 Oulu 3 Raahe Ritgrund Strömmingsbådan Stubben Tankar Tauvo Ulkokalla Utgrynnan Vaasa Valsörarna
Former Finnish lighthouses in Russia	Bolshoy Tyuters Hanhipaasi Leppäniemi Mantsinsaari Lounatrivi Mys Krestovyi Mys Romanovski Narvi Pohjoiskorkia Rödskär Seskar Seivästö Sirnitsä Sommers Sortanlahti Vayda-Guba
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