Lighthouses of Sweden: Lakes Mälaren and Hjälmaren

Lake Mälaren, Sweden's third largest lake after Lakes Vänern and Vättern, lies to the west of Stockholm. The lake drains to the Baltic through several channels in the Stockholm area. Larger ships can enter the lake through the Södertälje Canal, a single-lock waterway through Södertälje at the southeastern corner of the lake, and smaller vessels can enter there or through the Karljohanslussen or the Hammarbyslussen, locks in Stockholm itself. Lake Hjälmaren is located to the southwest of Lake Mälaren; the two lakes are joined by the 13 km (8 mi) long Hjälmare Canal.

The numerous navigational lights on the lake are not included in the U.S. NGA light list, but they are included in the Admiralty Light List. I'm indebted to Michel Forand for his research on these lights, and for providing the locations and light characteristics for them from his copies of the Admiralty lists.

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). 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. The Swedish Lighthouse Society (Svenska Fyrsällskapet) works for the preservation of the lighthouses.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume C of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals.

General Sources
Online List of Lights - Sweden
Photos by various photographers posted by Alex Trabas.


Ytterholmens Fyr, Enköping, December 2010
Panoramio photo copyright Mats Ljungberg; used by permission

Lake Mälaren Lighthouses

Enköping (Uppsala Län) Lighthouses
Ytterholmen (2)
Date unknown (station established 1925). Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); two flashes every 3 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 10 m (33 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white with one narrow green horizontal band. Mats Ljungberg's photo is above, David Thyberg has a 2009 photo, Lars André has a 2005 photo, Sten Rundqvist's 1984 photo shows an earlier color pattern, and Google has a satellite view. This is one of the lake's taller and better-known lighthouses. An earlier lighthouse here was only 6 m (20 ft) tall. Located on the southern tip of the island of Ytterholmen, about 800 m (1/2 mi) south of Brandholmssund. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6682.2.
Husgarn
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 5 m (17 ft); three flashes every 9 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 6 m (20 ft) round tower with lantern and gallery, painted white with a narrow red horizontal band around the lantern. Trabas has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the western tip of a small island south of Bryggholmen. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6684.4.
Bryggholmen
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 7 m (23 ft); two flashes every 6 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 6 m (20 ft) round tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white with one narrow green horizontal band around the lantern. Trabas has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the western tip of the island of Bryggholmen. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6684.8.
Koholmensgrund
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 6 m (20 ft); white, red or green light depending on direction, occulting three times every 12 s. 7 m (23 ft) concrete post light with lantern and gallery. Lantern painted white with a narrow red horizontal band. Trabas has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a shoal in the center of the channel north of the island of Koholmen. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6685.4.
Nybyholm
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 4 m (13 ft); two flashes every 6 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 5 m (17 ft) octagonal lantern and gallery mounted on a round stone base. Lighthouse painted white with a narrow green horizontal band. Trabas has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory on the north side of the lake at the western entrance to the channel north of the island of Koholmen. May be accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6685.6.

Västerås (Västmanlands Län) Lighthouses
Snesarboudde
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 4 m (13 ft); four flashes every 12 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 5 m (17 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white with one narrow green horizontal band. Harry Rantala has a photo, a 2012 closeup is available, and Google has a fuzzy satellite view. Located on a mainland promontory about 13 km (8 mi) southeast of Västerås. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6688.2.
Fyrskepp 5 Svenska Björn (Utgrunden)
1866 (Bergsunds Mekaniska Verkstad, Stockholm). Decommissioned 1962. 27.7 m (91 ft) steel lightship; light tower with lantern and gallery amidships. Vessel painted red with white trim. A closeup photo is available, also another closeup, and Google has a satellite view. The ship served the Utgrunden station until 1883; thereafter it spent nearly all its career on the Svenska Björn station in the Baltic east of Stockholm (see the Stockholm Area page for the lighthouse now at that location). In 1962 it was sold to a Finnish company, which stripped it down and used it to transport sand to Helsinki. Sometime in the late 1970s it was sold to a private person, who restored its original name and appearance. The ship is moored at a marina on the east side of Västerås. Site open, vessel closed. Site manager: private. ARLHS SWE-254.
* Fyrskepp 2B Almagrundet
1896 (Brodins Shipyard, Gävle). Decommissioned 1969. 23.5 m (77 ft) steel lightship; light tower with lantern and gallery amidships. Vessel painted red with white trim. Carl Staffan Holmer's photo is at right, a photo of the ship rigged for winter is available, and Google has a satellite view. The ship served the Almagrundet station for its first 16 years. After serving many years (1927-51) on the Hävringe station, it was converted in 1952 to a combination lightship and pilot vessel for Malmö. The ship was decommissioned after being forced aground and damaged by a violent storm in 1969. Repaired and restored, for the next twenty years it was open as a museum vessel in Malmö. In 1989, by which time the ship had fallen into very poor condition, it was sold to Knuth Borg. Borg restored the ship and has it moored at the Tullhus pier in downtown Västerås. Site open, vessel closed. Site manager: private. ARLHS SWE-238.
Västerås
Date unknown (station established 1883). Active; focal plane 3 m (10 ft); quick-flashing light, white, red or green depending on direction. 4 m (13 ft) octagonal lantern, painted white with a narrow red horizontal band. A 2008 photo is available, John Lindholm has a photo, Trabas has a closeup, Håkan Dahlström also has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of a mole at the entrance to Västerås. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6690.
Västra Holmen
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 6 m (20 ft); light pattern unknown. 6 m (20 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted white with a narrow green horizontal band. A photo is available, Trabas has a distant view, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the western tip of a small island about 3 km (2 mi) south of Västerås. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6689.8.

Fyrskepp Almagrundet, June 2008
Panoramio Creative Commons photo by Carl Staffan Holmer
Hovaren
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 5 m (17 ft); flash every 3 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 5 m (17 ft) round fiberglass (?) tower, colored white with a red horizontal band. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a small island about 3.5 km (2.25 mi) south of the Västerås waterfront. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6689.6.
Högholm (Högholmsskär)
Date unknown (station established 1937). Active; focal plane 4 m (13 ft); four flashes every 12 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 4 m (13 ft) round lantern, mounted on a concrete pad. Lantern painted white with one narrow green horizontal band. A 2008 photo is available, Bengt Stridh has an older photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the western tip of a small island about 7 km (4 mi) south of Västerås. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6691.1.

Köping (Västmanlands Län) Lighthouses
Östra Torpet
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 4 m (13 ft); two flashes every 6 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 4 m (13 ft) octagonal lantern and gallery mounted on a round concrete pedestal. Lighthouse painted white with a narrow green horizontal band. Trabas has a closeup photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the north side of the lake at Berghagen. Site open, tower closed. C6694.7.
Gliparna (Nedre)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 4 m (13 ft); quick-flashing white, red or green light. 5 m (17 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white with one narrow red horizontal band. Trabas has a photo, Robert Windahl has a photo. and Google has an indistinct satellite view. This light is the front light of a range; the rear light is on a skeletal tower. Located on an island off a promontory about 4 km (2.5 mi) east of Stäudde. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6694.4.
Torpagrund
Date unknown (station established 1882). Active; focal plane 4 m (13 ft); two flashes every 6 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 4 m (13 ft) round lantern, painted white with one narrow green horizontal band. Morgan Johansson has a photo, Trabas has a view from the lake, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a reef about 4 km (2.5 mi) southeast of Stäudde. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6693.2.
Bogen
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 6 m (20 ft); white, red or green light depending on direction, 2 s on, 2 s off. 5 m (27 ft) round cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse is white. Trabas has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a rock near the extreme western end of the lake. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6694.

Eskilstuna (Södermanlands Län) Lighthouses
Småholm
Date unknown (station established 1941). Active; focal plane 4 m (13 ft); quick-flashing white, red or green light. 4 m (13 ft) round lantern, painted white. Bengt Stridh has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. This light is the front light of an eastbound range; the rear light is on a skeletal tower. Located on the northern tip of the island of Småholm, about 1.5 km (1 mi) west of Kvicksund. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6692.6.
Torshälla
Date unknown (station established 1906). Active; focal plane 5.5 m (18 ft); flash every 3 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 7 m (23 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Tower painted white, lantern red with a white roof. A photo by Hartmut Sandvoß is at right, Trabas has a photo, Bengt Stridh has a good photo, Jan Samuelsson also has a photo, and Google has a good satellite view. Located on a skerry in the entrance to the harbor of Torshälla; this is also the entrance to the Hjälmare Canal leading to Lake Hjälmaren. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6691.8.

Strängnäs (Södermanlands Län) Lighthouses
Agneudde
Date unknown (station established 1925). Active; focal plane 6.5 m (21 ft); white, red or green light, depending on direction, 2 s on, 2 s off. 7 m (23 ft) tower with lantern and gallery, painted white with a narrow red horizontal band. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. This light marks a right-angle turn in the course of the lake. Located on a promontory about 5 km (3 mi) northwest of Aspö. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6687.
Oknö Hälludde
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 3 m (10 ft); flash every 3 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 4 m (13 ft) tower with lantern and gallery, painted white with a narrow red horizontal band. Trabas has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. This light marks another sharp turn in the course of the lake. Located on a promontory about 1.2 km (3/4 mi) north of Logarn. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6684.6.
Selaön (Norrtorp)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 5 m (17 ft); flash every 3 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 7 m (23 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white with a narrow red horizontal band. Trabas has a closeup photo, Lars Schylberg has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory on the north side of the island of Selaön near Norrtorp. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6683.8.
Torshällas Fyr
Torshällas Fyr, Eskilstuna, September 2011
Panoramio photo copyright Hartmut Sandvoß
used by permission

Södertälje (Stockholms Län) Lighthouses
Ridö Pilskär
1882. Active; focal plane 7 m (23 ft); two flashes every 4 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 7 m (23 ft) round cylindrical stone tower with lantern and gallery. Lighythouse painted white with one narrow green horizontal band on the lantern. Trabas has a photo, Rune Holm has a 2008 photo, and Google has a satellite view. Sten Rundqvist has a photo showing an earlier pattern with the stone unpainted. The stone tower of this lighthouse is probably original, although the lantern is probably more recent. Located on a skerry in a narrow channel south of the island of Ridö. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6681.2.
Kurön
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); flash every 3 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 9 m (30 ft) concrete tower, probably with lantern and gallery. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on the northern tip of the island of Kurön, about 1 km (0.6 mi) south of Hallsta. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6682.
* Viksberg
Date unknown (station established 1925). Active; focal plane 3.5 m (11 ft); two flashes every 6 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 6 m (20 ft) octagonal lantern and gallery mounted on a round cylindrical concrete tower. Lighthouse painted white with a narrow green horizontal band. Bosse Arnholm has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory on the east side of the entrance to the Södertälje waterway from the lake, on the north side of Viksberg. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6680.2.

Salem (Stockholms Län) Lighthouses
Långhällsudde (2 or 3)
Date unknown (station established 1882). Active; focal plane 4.2 m (14 ft); flash every 4 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 6 m (20 ft) octagonal lantern and gallery mounted on a round cylindrical concrete tower. Lighthouse painted white. David Thyberg's photo is at right, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a mainland promontory at the west entrance to the Bockholmmssund, about 3 km (1.8 mi) north of Viksberg. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6680.6.
Bockholmssund Nedre
Date unknown (station established 1883). Active; focal plane 4 m (13 ft); white, red or green light, depending on direction, 2 s on, 2 s off. 5 m (17 ft) lantern, mounted on a round concrete pier and painted white with a narrow red horizontal band. A photo is available, also a second photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a narrow channel on the south side of the island of Helgö. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6716.7.

Botkyrka (Stockholms Län) Lighthouses
#Norsborg
Date unknown (station established 1940). Deactivated and removed in 2006. Formerly a 4 m (13 ft) octagonal lantern, mounted on a round concrete pier and painted white with a narrow red horizontal band. Carl Staffan Holmer has a photo, and Google has a satellite view of the former location. The light was removed on 24 November 2006, and even the concrete pier was demolished. Located on a promontory on the northwest side of Norsborg. Site status unknown. Admiralty C6717.6.
Slagstaholm (Slagsta Holm)
Date unknown (station established 1919). Active; focal plane 4 m (13 ft); flash every 3 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 4 m (13 ft) octagonal lantern, painted white with a narrow red horizontal band. Per Ola Wiberg has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the north side of the island of Slagstaholm, about 1.2 km (3/4 mi) southwest of Solsidan. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C6717.8.

Stockholm City Lighthouse
Kungshatt (Fläsket Övre)
Date unknown (station established 1940). Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); white light, 2 s on, 2 s off. 12 m (39 ft) mast mounted on a round cylindrical tower. Tower painted white with a narrow green horizontal band. Jonas Ryberg has a photo, Per Ola Wiberg has a second photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the southeastern shore of the island of Kungshatt, a short distance west of Stockholm. Site and tower closed (private property), although the light is easy to see from the water. Admiralty C6718.6.
Långhällsuddes Dyr
Långhallsuddes Fyr, June 2007
Panoramio photo copyright David Thyberg
permission requested

Lake Hjälmaren Lighthouse

Arboga (Västmanlands Län) Lighthouse
Västra Gården
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 7 m (23 ft); white, red or green light, depending on direction, 2 s on, 2 s off. 8 m (26 ft) square cylindrical wood (?) tower with gallery, painted white. Trabas has a distant view, but shadows conceal the lighthouse in Google's satellite view. Located on the north side of the island of Valen, in the center of the lake. Site status unknown (probably on private property). Admiralty C6693.72.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

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Posted December 9, 2008. Checked and revised July 3, 2012. Lighthouses: 28; lightships: 2. Site copyright 2012 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.