Utö lighthouse on a winter night. Snow flurries visible in the beams of light. Black and white photo.
Utö lighthouse on a winter night. Snow flurries visible in the beams of light. Black and white photo.

Utö

starting at €90.00

Surrounded by waters plagued by rocky shoals and magnetic disturbances, Utö is known to have had a navigational aid as early as the 13th century. The first actual lighthouse was completed on the island in 1753, but it was blown up during the Finnish War of 1808–1809. A new square lighthouse was built in 1814, and it still serves as the lighthouse’s main structure. The residents of Utö converted the third floor of the tower into a church, and it is still in use today. The lighthouse’s lighting system has evolved through various stages, from 10 tallow candles and a mirror to the currently operational lens system, which now draws its power from the national grid via a submarine cable.

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Surrounded by waters plagued by rocky shoals and magnetic disturbances, Utö is known to have had a navigational aid as early as the 13th century. The first actual lighthouse was completed on the island in 1753, but it was blown up during the Finnish War of 1808–1809. A new square lighthouse was built in 1814, and it still serves as the lighthouse’s main structure. The residents of Utö converted the third floor of the tower into a church, and it is still in use today. The lighthouse’s lighting system has evolved through various stages, from 10 tallow candles and a mirror to the currently operational lens system, which now draws its power from the national grid via a submarine cable.

The lighthouse stands at the edge of the world. Smoothly worn steps lead up to the lantern room. From there, you can see the shadows of the clouds reflected in the sea—and the small world of the lighthouse island. Starting in the 1950s, lighthouses began to be left without keepers or even became completely obsolete. It was not until around the turn of the millennium that the cultural and architectural value of these navigational aids, abandoned to the mercy of the weather and vandalism, began to be understood, and efforts were made to save them. Everyone who has helped save even one of our lighthouses has given a gift to all Finns.

Discover my work The Sea That Rinses My Feet  (texts in Finnish, English, and Swedish)

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