Bengtskär Lighthouse

Kemiönsaari, Finland

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. Finally, the lighthouse was re-opened in 1950.

Today the Bengtskär lighthouse is a popular tourist attraction providing a museum, varying exhibitions, cafe and accomodation services. The lighthouse is open for visitors every day between June 1st and August 31st. The shortest sea route to Bengtskär goes through the beautiful archipelago. The trip from Kasnäs to Bengtskär takes about an hour.

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Address

Norrfjärdintie 2, Kemiönsaari, Finland
See all sites in Kemiönsaari

Details

Founded: 1905-1906
Category:
Historical period: Russian Grand Duchy (Finland)

More Information

www.bengtskar.fi
en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.9/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Hanko Church (28,7 km)
Mathildedal Ironworks (59,7 km)
Hiittinen Church (18,7 km)
Söderlångvik (34,6 km)
Västanfjärd Churches (37,2 km)
Angelniemi Church (67,7 km)
Kemiö Church (51,4 km)
Hauensuoli (24,7 km)
The Sagalund Museum (50,3 km)

User Reviews

Olli Mustonen (9 months ago)
Hieno kohde Hangosta tai Kasnäsistä. Hangosta retki maksoi kesällä 2018 n.60e ja siihen sisältyi matka, maihinnousu sekä lohikeitto. Kiva päiväretki.
Kevin O'Brien (10 months ago)
Went there on a hot, sunny summer day and were met by a friendly man who told us about the island and lighthouse. We paid the landing fee (8 euro), which was quite reasonable as it included admission to the lighthouse. We enjoyed coffee and fresh pulla (sweet buns) in the coffee shop. You can even get Bengtskär lighthouse own ground coffee from the cafe! We climbed the spiral staircase to the light for fantastic views and the climb was worth it! Other nice features include names engraved into the smooth granite bedrock and even we even found a geocache near the bunker. Overall a fantastic place and a great experience. I would recommend making the effort to visit.
Paavo (11 months ago)
Suosittelen tätä kohdetta kaikille kotimaanmatkailijoille. Ei pelkästään upea nähtävyys, elämys ja maisemat vaan myös merkittävä palanen Suomen sotahistoriaa.
Ausra (12 months ago)
One of the best experience in Finland. Totally in love with this place. Highly recommend to visit.
dong ding (2 years ago)
The lighthouse is interesting but it is really the view of archipelago that will take your breath away.
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The Porta Nigra (Latin for black gate) is the largest Roman city gate north of the Alps. It is designated as part of the Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St. Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier UNESCO World Heritage Site. The name Porta Nigra originated in the Middle Ages due to the darkened colour of its stone; the original Roman name has not been preserved. Locals commonly refer to the Porta Nigra simply as Porta.

The Porta Nigra was built in grey sandstone between 186 and 200 AD. The original gate consisted of two four-storied towers, projecting as near semicircles on the outer side. A narrow courtyard separated the two gate openings on either side. For unknown reasons, however, the construction of the gate remained unfinished. For example, the stones at the northern (outer) side of the gate were never abraded, and the protruding stones would have made it impossible to install movable gates. Nonetheless, the gate was used for several centuries until the end of the Roman era in Trier.

In Roman times, the Porta Nigra was part of a system of four city gates, one of which stood at each side of the roughly rectangular Roman city. The Porta Nigra guarded the northern entry to the Roman city, while the Porta Alba (White Gate) was built in the east, the Porta Media (Middle Gate) in the south, and the Porta Inclyta (Famous Gate) in the west, next to the Roman bridge across the Moselle. The gates stood at the ends of the two main streets of the Roman Trier, one of which led north-south and the other east-west. Of these gates, only the Porta Nigra still exists today.

In the early Middle Ages the Roman city gates were no longer used for their original function and their stones were taken and reused for other buildings. Also iron and lead braces were broken out of the walls of the Porta Nigra for reuse. Traces of this destruction are still clearly visible on the north side of the gate.

After 1028, the Greek monk Simeon lived as a hermit in the ruins of the Porta Nigra. After his death (1035) and sanctification, the Simeonstift monastery was built next to the Porta Nigra to honor him. Saving it from further destruction, the Porta Nigra was transformed into a church: The inner court of the gate was roofed and intermediate ceilings were inserted. The two middle storeys of the former gate were converted into church naves: the upper storey being for the monks and the lower storey for the general public. The ground floor with the large gates was sealed, and a large outside staircase was constructed alongside the south side (the town side) of the gate, up to the lower storey of the church. A small staircase led further up to the upper storey. The church rooms were accessible through former windows of the western tower of the Porta Nigra that were enlarged to become entrance doors (still visible today). The top floor of the western tower was used as church tower, the eastern tower was leveled, and an apse added at its east side. An additional gate - the much smaller Simeon Gate - was built adjacent to the East side of the Porta Nigra and served as a city gate in medieval times.

In 1802 Napoleon Bonaparte dissolved the church in the Porta Nigra and the monastery beside it, along with the vast majority of Trier"s numerous churches and monasteries. On his visit to Trier in 1804, Napoleon ordered that the Porta Nigra be converted back to its Roman form. Only the apse was kept; but the eastern tower was not rebuilt to its original height. Local legend has it that Napoleon originally wanted to completely tear down the church, but locals convinced him that the church had actually been a Gaulish festival hall before being turned into a church. Another version of the story is that they told him about its Roman origins, persuading him to convert the gate back to its original form.

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