The Kingdom 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 lighthouses of Västerbotten (Western Bothnia) county (Västerbottens Län) in northern Sweden. Västerbotten faces the northern end of the Gulf of Bothnia. This northernmost extension of the Baltic Sea is known in Sweden as the Bothnian Bay (Bottenviken). It is shallow, with numerous shoals and islands, creating a need for many navigational aids. The southern part of Västerbotten faces a narrower section of the Gulf known as the Norra Kvarken (northern throat or northern strait). 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 Maritime Administration (Sjöfartsverket). ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. SV numbers are from the Sjöfarsverket light list (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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: North Bothnia | South: Västernorrland
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key
Posted August 20, 2007. Checked and revised December 30, 2024. Lighthouses: 35. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.