Close-up of the lens of the Utö lighthouse. Black and white photo.
Close-up of the lens of the Utö lighthouse. Black and white photo.

Utö Lens

starting at €90.00

During Utö´s long history, the island´s lighthouses have been rebuilt many times and have had several different types of lighting equipment and lenses. The lens apparatus currently in use, manufactured by the Parisian company Barbier, Bernard & Turenne, dates from 1906. It too has survived the dangerous war years with only minor damage, thanks in part to good luck and in part to the resourcefulness of the islanders.

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During Utö´s long history, the island´s lighthouses have been rebuilt many times and have had several different types of lighting equipment and lenses. The lens apparatus currently in use, manufactured by the Parisian company Barbier, Bernard & Turenne, dates from 1906. It too has survived the dangerous war years with only minor damage, thanks in part to good luck and in part to the resourcefulness of the islanders.

The LIGHTHOUSE stands at the edge of the world. The stairs smoothed by thousands of steps lead to the lantern room. From there, you can see the shadows of the clouds reflected in the mirror of the sea – and the small world of the lighthouse island or cape. In Finland lighthouses began to be left without keepers or even become completely unnecessary from the 1050s. It was not until the turn of the millennium that the cultural and architectural value of these sea markers, abandoned to the mercy of the weather and vandalism, began to be understood and efforts were initiated to save them. Everyone who has participated in saving 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)

Discover my book Kuohu – Hooked on the Archipelago (texts in Finnish or Swedish)