Utö Island

Parainen, Finland

Utö is a small island in the Finland Archipelago Sea. It is the southernmost year-round inhabited island in Finland. The written history of island dates back to the 16th century. Since the 17th century, it has been a base for pilots, lighthouse keepers, custom officials and soldiers.

The first lighthouse in Finland was built on Utö in 1753. The round lighthouse building was blown up during the Swedish-Russian war of 1808-1809. The present lighthouse was built in 1814 under the supervision of Chief Pilot Gustav Brodd. The lantern and the lights have been modernized several times. The present lens was installed in 1906.

Today Utö is popular place for a day trip. You can visit on lighthouse, a small museum and village with old wooden cottages.

Address

Utö, Parainen, Finland

See all sites in Parainen

Details

Founded: 16th century
Category: Miscellaneous historic sites in Finland
Historical period: Reformation (Finland)

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
uto.fi

Rating

4.8/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Tom Tackman (12 months ago)
Idyll in the outer archipelago. Paradise at least in summer. Reached by connecting ferry, 4 1/2h from Pärnäs, Nagu. The spring is free for locals and tourists alike.

GÜNAY Vurdu (13 months ago)
Bad air

Marjo Liikala (13 months ago)
Very charming island village milieu. I warmly recommend you to get to know it!

Pena Voy (2 years ago)
Utö is a good place to visit if you want a vacation spot and a bit of history/Utö is a good place to visit if you want a vacation spot and a bit of history

Monika Latvala (3 years ago)
You can also travel here in winter ❄️

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright Infomastern

Historic Site of the week

Visby Cathedral

Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.