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 Sweden's lighthouses of the southern portion of the Gulf of Bothnia, including the counties of Gävleborg and Uppsala. The coastline of this area faces east in Gävleborg and northeast in Uppsala. The adjoining portion of the Gulf is known in Sweden as the Bothnian Sea (Bottenhavet), with Finland on the other side roughly 175-250 km (110-150 mi) away. 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). Many of the major lighthouses have resident attendents, and guided tours can often be arranged. 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.
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Lighthouses of Gävleborgs Län
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Lighthouses of Uppsalas Län
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![]() Grundkallen Light, Ålands Sea, June 2014 Wikimedia Creative Commons photo by Esquilo |
Information available on lost lighthouses: Notable faux lighthouses: |
Adjoining pages: North: Västernorrland | East: Åland Islands | South: Stockholm Area
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key
Posted August 13, 2007. Checked and revised January 14, 2025. Lighthouses: 46, lightships: 1. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.