Lighthouses of Sweden: Östergötland

The nation of Sweden (Sverige in Swedish) is the largest country of northern Europe, occupying the entire west coast of the Baltic Sea. Along with its lengthy coast Sweden has a distinguished lighthouse history and a good record of preserving its historic lights. The Swedish Lighthouse Society (Svenska Fyrsällskapet) works actively for the preservation of the lighthouses.

Sweden is divided into 21 counties (län) and the counties are subdivided into townships and municipalities (kommuner). This page covers the coastal lighthouses of southeastern Sweden in Östergötland county (Östergötlands län). The county faces east on the Baltic Sea south of the Stockholm area.

The Swedish word for a lighthouse is fyr. The front light of a range is the nedrefyr (lower light) and the rear light is the övrefyr (upper light). Ö is an island, holme is an islet, skär is a skerry (a tiny island or rocky reef), grund is a shoal or shallow, sund is a strait (often between an island and the mainland), vik is a bay, hav is a sea, udde is a headland, flod is a river, and hamn is a port or harbor.

Aids to navigation in Sweden are maintained by the Swedish Maritime Administration (Sjöfartsverket).

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. SV numbers are from the Sjöfarsverket light list (Svenska Fyrlista) as reported by the Swedish Lighthouse Society. Admiralty numbers are from volume C of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 116.

General Sources
Swedish Lighthouse Society (Svenska Fyrsällskapet, SFA)
The Society is active in promoting the preservation of Swedish lighthouses.
Svenskt Fyrväsende
From the SFA web site, data and photos for many of the lighthouses.
Online Lists of Lights - Sweden - Central Baltic Sea
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
Leuchttürme und Leuchtfeuer in Schweden - Svenska Fyrar
A large collection of photos and data posted by Erich Hartmann; text in German.
Lighthouses in Sweden
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
Sweden Lighthouses
Aerial photos posted by Marinas.com.
Lighthouse Pages from Anke and Jens - Sweden
Photos and brief accounts (in English) by two German lighthouse fans.
Fyr Vi Har Passeret (Lighthouses We've Passed)
Photos of Baltic lighthouses taken by two Danish sailors, Jette and Ole.
Schwedische Leuchttürme auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard views posted by Klaus Huelse.


Viskär Light, Norrköping, October 2022
SFA Creative Commons photo by Leif Elsby

Norrköping Lighthouses
Norrköping is a seaport of about 150,000 residents and the largest port on Sweden's southeast coast. The city is located at the head of the Bråviken, a long inlet of the Baltic Sea, and at the mouth of the Motala River, the outlet for Lake Vättern and the eastern end of the Göta Canal waterway across southern Sweden.

Stora Juten (2)
1927 (station established 1886). Active; focal plane 6 m (20 ft); three flashes every 9 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 6 m (20 ft) round lantern on a short concrete pier. Lighthouse painted white with a red horizontal band around the lantern. Trabas has a photo and Google has a satellite view. Located on a skerry in the entrance to Norrköping from the Bråviken estuary. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. SV-471300; Admiralty C6902; NGA 8700.
Bosö Sten
1942. Active; focal plane 4 m (13 ft); two flashes every 6 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 4.5 m (15 ft) round lantern on a short concrete pier. Lantern painted white. Trabas has a photo and Google has a satellite view. Located on a skerry in the approach to Norrköping. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. SV-467900; Admiralty C6856; NGA 8572.
Gränsösund Nedre
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 4 m (13 ft); white, red or green light, depending on direction 2 s on, 2 s off. 4.5 m (15 ft) round lantern on a short concrete pier. Lantern painted with red and white vertical stripes; the roof is white. Trabas has a photo and Google has a satellite view. Located in the channel on the west side of Gränsö. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6860; NGA 8552.
Karthällan
1958. Inactive since 1999. Approx. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Formerly painted white, but nearly all the paint has disappeared. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a skerry about 8 km (5 mi) northeast of Arkösund. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SWE-214; ex-Admiralty C6853.
Viskär
1860 (relocated here in 1894). Inactive since 1932. Approx. 9 m (30 ft) octagonal tower with lantern and gallery, attached to the seaward end of a 1-1/2 story wood keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white, lantern black; house painted red with white trim. Lief Elsby's 2022 photo is at the top of this page and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse was originally built on Västergarns Utholme, a small island off the east coast of Gotland. Deactivated in 1887, it was relocated in 1890 to Storkläppen, an island in Kalmar. However, that station was devastated by a storm in November of the same year. The tower survived and in 1894 it was relocated a second time to Viskär. The house is now a private residence and the owners have maintained the lighthouse in excellent condition. Located on an island about 2.5 km (1.5 mi) east of Arkösund. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Site manager: private. ARLHS SWE-324.
[Arkö Båk]
1891. Never active as a lighthouse. 20 m (66 ft) square wood skeletal tower covered with steel plates. Upper half of the tower painted red, lower half white except red on the seaward face. Daniel Hessel has the 2022 closeup photo at right, SFA has a page for the tower, Lars Westerholm has a closeup photo, and Google has a satellite view. The metal covering was added in 1927. In 2004 the Sjöfartsverket announced that this historic daybeacon would be demolished unless a local group was interested in maintaining it. The Arkö Båks Vänner was quickly formed, and in 2006-07 the tower was restored, with the help of a historic preservation grant from the EU. Located on the southern tip of Gransö, marking the east side of the entrance to Arkösund's harbor. Site open. Owner/site manager: Arkö Båks Vänner.

Arkö Båk, Gransö, July 2022
Google Maps photo by Daniel Hessel
Kuggviksskär (Kopparholmen Övre)
1937. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); four quick flashes every 6 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 12 m (39 ft) round cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse painted white. Hartmann has a page for the two range lights, Trabas has a photo, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view. The light guides vessels to Arkösund and is also the rear light of the Kopparholmen Range. Located on a skerry off the southeastern tip of Gränsö and about 2 km (1.2 mi) southeast of Arkösund. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SWE-224; SV-484500; Admiralty C6872.1; NGA 8524.
Kopparholmen (Nedre)
1940 (station established 1884). Active; focal plane 6 m (20 ft); white, red or green light, depending on direction, 2 s on, 2 s off. 6 m (20 ft) round tower with lantern and gallery, painted white with a green horizontal band around the lantern. A photo is at right, Hartmann has a page for the two range lights, Trabas has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. This light is the front light of a range guiding vessels northward to Arkösund; the Kuggviksskär light is the rear light. Located on the west point of Östra Kopparholmen, about 1.2 km (3/4 mi) south of the southeastern tip of Gränsö. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. SV-484600; Admiralty C6872; NGA 8520.
Norra Fällbådan
1955. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); three flashes every 9 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 17 m (56 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted black with one red horizontal band, lantern painted white. A closeup photo is available but the lighthouse is not shown in Bing's satellite view. Located in the Baltic Sea about 8 km (5 mi) east southeast of Arkösund. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. SV-483000; Admiralty C6866; NGA 8428.

Kopparholmen Light, Norrköping, October 2022
SFA Creative Commons photo by Leif Elsby
Björkskär
1924. Active; focal plane 4 m (13 ft); flash every 3 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 5 m (17 ft) rectangular wood building, painted white with one red horizontal band. The light is shown through a narrow window. Google has a satellite view. NGA misspells the name as Bjorskar. Located on a skerry in the Lönshuvudfjard about 2 km (1.2 mi) east southeast of Hummelvik. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. SV-485900; Admiralty C6876; NGA 8484.
Hackerstad (2)
1990 (station established 1945). Active; focal plane 8 m (26 ft); two flashes every 6 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 7 m (23 ft) octagonal lantern mounted on a round concrete pier. Lantern painted white with a green horizontal band. Hartmann has a page for the lighthouse, Trabas has a photo and Google has a satellite view. Located at the base of a steep headland on the north side of the Östersjön estuary. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. SV-487900; Admiralty C7004; NGA 8504.

Söderköping Lighthouses
Sandsänkan
1931. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white, red or green light, depending on direction, 2 s on, 8 s off. 16 m (52 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted black, lantern white. A photo by Jens Magnusson is available (almost 1/3 the way down the page), Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Huelse has a historic postcard view, but the reef is only a blur in Bing's satellite view. Located in the Baltic Sea about 13 km (8 mi) due east of Yxnö. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. SV-482000; Admiralty C6978; NGA 8424.
Sandö
1940 (station established 1900). Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); two long (2 s) flashes every 15 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 12 m (39 ft) round tower, probably with lantern and gallery, painted white with a green horizontal band and a black band around the base. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a skerry about 1.2 km (3/4 mi) off the south coast of Fångö. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. SV-515300; Admiralty C6966; NGA 8432.
Häradskär (Häradsskär)
1863 (Nils Gustaf von Heidenstam). Active; focal plane 36 m (118 ft); three long (2.5 s) white flashes every 20 s. 29.5 m (96 ft) round cast iron skeletal tower with lantern, gallery, and central cylinder. Entire lighthouse painted red. The original rotating 1st order Fresnel lens was replaced in 1978 by a 3rd order lens transferred from the Dämman lighthouse (see Kalmar). Several light station buildings are available for conferences and for overnight accommodations. Peter Hallgren's 2022 photo is at right, SFA has a page for the lighthouse, a 2021 photo is available, Jette and Ole have a more distant photo, Jörgen Nybrolin has a 2010 photo, Marinas.com has aerial photos, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. This historic lighthouse, one of von Heidenstam's earliest designs, lives a lonely life far out in the Baltic. Nearby are the ruins of a daybeacon built in 1745. Located on a small island about 4 km (2.5 mi) southeast of Fångö. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Site manager: Häradskärs Fyrplats . ARLHS SWE-180; SV-516300; Admiralty C7022; NGA 8400.

Valdemarsvik Lighthouses
Hägerökarten
1940. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); four flashes every 12 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted white with a black band around the base. Jette and Ole have a good photo and Google has a satellite view. Located on a skerry about 4 km (2.5 mi) south southwest of Fångö. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SWE-167; SV-517000; Admiralty C7026; NGA 8396.

Häradsskär Light, Baltic Sea, May 2022
Instagram photo by Peter Hallgren
Svartbåden
1940. Active; focal plane 8 m (26 ft); three flashes every 9 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 7 m (23 ft) round tower with lantern and gallery, painted white with a narrow red band under the gallery. Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on the eastern tip of a small island off the coast of Stora Ålö. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. SV-518200; Admiralty C7032; NGA 8388.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Södermanland | South: Kalmar | West: Lake Vättern

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Posted July 16, 2007. Checked and revised February 13, 2025. Lighthouses: 15. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.