Marine Culture & History
The old Östergarn lighthouse. Built between 1818 and 1819
Initiatives and Projects
The Swedish Lighthouse Society
In 1996, the Swedish Lighthouse Society was founded by a handful of lighthouse enthusiasts, of which Magnus Rietz was one. After they thought quite alone about the interest in lighthouses, it was soon discovered that this was hardly the case. For almost immediately, people from different parts of our country began to want to join. Eventually also a number of boat clubs, museums and even some authorities. Initiatives were taken and great energy was put in at an early stage on the part of the Lighthouse Society to preserve Sweden's lighthouses, lighthouses and document lighthouse history. Many and concrete results have since been successively presented over the years. Good relations with the relevant authorities have been established. Countless press contacts have taken place.
The number of members of the Swedish Lighthouse Society has risen to almost 5,000 in 2021. It has won solid recognition and meets with a well-deserved respect from the public for its activities to save for posterity and preserve a maritime cultural heritage that was disappearing.
Lighthouse Watch Gotland
In around 2010, the Swedish Maritime Administration decided that a handful of smaller lighthouses located along the shipping lanes around the coast of Gotland were no longer necessary as active navigation aids. This led to the founding of the Lighthouse Supervision Association, Gotland. The idea was to transfer the administration of each of these lighthouses to local community associations and then appoint the newly formed LSA as a coordinator for their future operation and management. The Swedish Maritime Administration gave the initiative the green light and also undertook to refurbish these lighthouses before handing them over. This was a pilot project for the private operation of lighthouses that were otherwise threatened with closure.
It has been a total success and has now become the benchmark for similar initiatives around the country all of which use our tried and proven best-practice methods.
Project OCCAS
When taking pictures for the first edition of the book Swedish Lighthouses, which was published at the turn of the millennium, it was clear that some of the older Swedish lighthouses had been deprived of their souls, that is to say, their lanterns were no longer operational. Many of them were in a sorry state as they simply lacked their original purpose - to shine in the dark. To solve the problem, we decided to take matters into our own hands and provide alternative lighting where required. As it turned out, this was not at all as difficult as it first seemed. As there was often still electricity available on site, all that was required was to install a light fitting or two inside the old lens.
Then something transpired. Word got around that you could actually breathe new life into an old lighthouse if only for one night. So people began to ask why not make it a little more permanent? As a result, thoughts soon turned to how this could become a reality and formal applications to make it happen were sent to the authorities. In various places around the country, people spoke up – they wanted to relight their lighthouses. With the help of a rule that enables temporary periodic lighthouse operation - a regulation called OCCAS, as indicated on shipping charts - it was perfectly possible to resurrect a number of decommissioned lighthouses. Dozens of lighthouses in Sweden now work in this way. Imagine that a bright idea using a simple lamp could lead to such an initiative.
Navigation markers
There are literally hundreds of old navigation markers of various shapes and sizes dotted around Sweden's coastlines. Some of the larger ones are well known and still appear on contemporary charts. Others have paled into insignificance and have been completely forgotten by everyone except a few of the locals who live in the places where they reside. Mostly these were built out of stone. But that was not always the case. Research reveals that some of the taller markers were made from upright beams with wooden cross bars. Sometimes they may have included metal elements, or the entire structure would have been made from metal. Often they are located on islands and are often found among densely overgrown vegetation ashore. Finding such markers is best done with the help of very old navigation logs. Publications that are extremely rare and difficult to get your hands on. Nevertheless, this kind of detective work is very rewarding. Prior to the creation of the book ‘Sjömärken - Kustens Konstverk’ (Navigation Markers – The Artwork of the Coast), the author conducted extensive research lasting more than two years. He undertook many trips along the Swedish coast making some fantastic finds and also discovered that in certain places there wasn’t even a rotting pile of boards to be found where once a marker stood. But the ones that remained often turned out to be quiet, somewhat lonely but still dignified guardians of the sea that were well worth documenting.
Travels around the Baltic Sea
Castle ruins Estonia
Nichorze lighthouse, Poland
Miles of deserted sandy beaches Uzava, Latvia
Antique shop Svaneke, Denmark
An historic trading site. Warnemünde, Germany
In order to appreciate and understand the concept of the Baltic Sea you need to look at it from all angles and all points of view.
In this way it gives you a nuance and sharpness that is absolutely priceless. From a Swedish perspective, we have our own definitive stance. However, we are constantly reminded that this must always be compared to how the Baltic Sea is perceived from all sides, in all the countries that boarder its shores and their people's differing values. If you don’t do this, then it quickly becomes one sided and its true meaning will be lost. Despite what many Swedes may say, it is not always certain that they know best.
The best way to find out what our neighbors really think is to get out there and look, ask, talk, listen and experience their view on things. There is no doubt that it will expand your horizons and not infrequently change your mindset and perception of the Baltic Sea and the people who live around it.
There is a lot to learn, things that are useful to take onboard. Partly it’s a matter of combining new experiences with previous conceptions, or misconceptions, of what is our own back yard. It is also a source of information about some rather intriguing and often unknown gems of history that, if you are inquisitive enough, will be told to you by people with personal experiences of them. Despite the fact that the distance between the countries around the Baltic Sea is relatively small, there is so much that is different. National perspectives tend to cloud our perceptions, but one always has to remember that Sweden is just one of eight countries that boarder the Baltic Sea. Embrace this and suddenly you will be met by new places, see fine cities, explore forest paths, be charmed by unknown countrysides, climb old lighthouses, eat food that for us is ‘exotic’, enter huge cathedrals, discover historical monuments, hear new music, take to the road by car or bike, bathe alone on sandy beaches and as is often the case, sit in a lovely harbor tavern with an ice-cold, highly affordable beer in front of an adorable view of the sea.
That is what experiencing the Baltic Sea from the other side is all about. Being a part of all of this is what strengthens the neighborliness of the Baltic Sea region thereby increasing our understanding of the place with its divergence of cultures, visions and values.
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And let us never forget how important this all is for the peace that currently resides in the region.