Lighthouses of Sweden: Öland

Öland is an island in the Baltic Sea belonging to the Swedish county of Kalmar (Kalmar Län). A long and narrow island, Öland lies parallel to the mainland coast of Kalmar Län, separated from it by a channel called the Kalmarsund. The island is about 136 km (85 mi) long and 8-16 km (5-10 mi) wide. Since 1972 the island has been readily accessible by the 6 km (3.5 mi) long Öland Bridge (Ölandsbron), which crosses the narrowest part of the Kalmarsund just north of Kalmar. Öland is popular among lighthouse fans for its fine collection of five historic lighthouses.

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. 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.

General Sources
Swedish Lighthouse Society (Svenska Fyrsällskapet, SFA)
The Society has a large web site, and some of the information is available in English as well as Swedish. An interactive map links to pdf pages (in Swedish) for the major lighthouses, and there is a list of photos available.
Lighthouses in Sweden
Aerial photos posted by Marinas.com.
Online List of Lights - Öland
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
Fyrar på Öland
Historical account of Öland's lighthouses, posted by students of the Öland Folk High School (Ölands Folkhögskola).
Lighthouse Pages from Anke and Jens - Sweden
Photos and brief accounts (in English) by two German lighthouse fans.
Henning Jensen's Lighthouse Pages
Photos and comments for about 20 lighthouses, posted by an employee of the Maritime Administration who helps maintain the lighthouses.
Fyrar
Photos taken from the sea, posted by Bosse Arnholm.
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.


Långe Jan, August 2009
Creative Commons photo by Johan Wildenius

Långe Erik
Långe Erik, July 2011
Wikimedia Creative Commons photo by David Castor

Borgholm Municipality (North Öland) Lighthouses
* Ispeudde
1866. Active; focal plane 7 m (23 ft); two long (2 s) flashes every 12 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 7 m (23 ft) round solid concrete tower with an octagonal lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white. Trabas has a closeup photo, a 2008 photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the tip of a peninsula pointing into the Kalmarsund about 8 km (5 mi) north of the Öland bridge. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty C7349; NGA 7908.
* Borgholm
Date unknown (station established 1865). Active; focal plane 5 m (17 ft); white or red light depending on direction. 5 m (17 ft) octagonal lantern, probably on a concrete base. lantern painted white. The light is nearly hidden by vegetation in Trabas's photo. According to the student authors of Fyrar på Öland, the original lighthouse was moved to Skäggenäs on the mainland, apparently in 1883. We don't know when the present light was installed, so this station may have been inactive for many years. Located in Borgholm, exact location unknown. Site status unknown. Admiralty C7334.
[Hornsudde]
Date unknown (station established 1893). Inactive since 2001. Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse was a twin of the Toknäsudde lighthouse. Anke and Jens photographed it in 1995, but when they returned in 2003 they found the lantern had been removed, leaving only the masonry base, which is still listed as a daybeacon. Located on a promontory at Hornsudde on the northwest coast of Öland. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SWE-200; ex-Admiralty C7312; NGA 8040.
** Tokenäsudde
Date unknown (station established 1893). Active; focal plane 7 m (23 ft); one long flash every 10 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 6 m (20 ft) square masonry tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse painted white. Trabas has a closeup, SFA has a photo by J. Alm and a winter photo by D. Eriksson, Mats Neander has a 2007 photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a point of land about 800 m (1/2 mi) southwest of Byxelkrok, on the northwest coast of Öland. Site open, with a picnic table next to the lighthouse; visitors can climb to the gallery. SV-5562; Admiralty C7288; NGA 8108.
**** Ölands Norra Udde (Öland North End, "Långe Erik")
1845. Active; focal plane 31 m (102 ft); four white flashes every 15 s. 32 m (105 ft) round limestone tower with lantern and gallery. A rotating beacon on the gallery is in use; the 3rd order Fresnel lens and its rotating mechanism, installed in 1903, remains mounted in the lantern. Lighthouse painted white; lantern dome is gray metallic. David Castor's photo is at the top of this page, Tanya Ingar has a fine 2007 photo, Trabas has Karl-Heinz Wellm's photo, Anke and Jens have photos, Marinas.com has aerial photos, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. The rotating mechanism was retired in 1947, when the lighthouse was electrified, and the lens was retired in 1991. Located on a small island at the northeastern tip of Öland; accessible by a bridge and causeway. Site open, tower open for climbing (small fee) on weekends in late May and early June and then daily from mid June through late August. ARLHS SWE-298; SV-5475; Admiralty C7260; NGA 7756.
Högby
1898. Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); two long (2 s) white flashes every 12 s. 23 m (75 ft) square cast iron skeletal tower with lantern, gallery, enclosed watch room, and central cylinder; 3rd order Fresnel lens in use. Lighthouse painted white; lantern dome is gray metallic. The 2-story stone keeper's house has been sold as a private residence. Gudrun Thielemann has a good photo, Trabas has Karl-Heinz Wellm's photo, Marinas.com has aerial photos, Huelse has a historic postcard view from the sea, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse was prefabricated by Bergsunds Mekaniska Verkstad in Stockholm and exhibited at the Stockholm Exposition in 1897 before its installation. Located at the end of a long, sandy peninsula on the northeast coast of Öland, about 2.5 km (1.5 mi) southeast of Högby. Site and tower closed (private property), but from the number of photos available it appears that the owners will admit polite lighthouse fans. ARLHS SWE-032; SV-5487; Admiralty C7266; NGA 7752.

Högby Fyr, July 2009
Wikimedia Creative Commons photo
by Pieter Kuiper
* Kapelludden
1872 (A.T. Gellerstedt). Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); white light, 2 s on, 8 s off. 31.5 m (104 ft) round cast iron skeletal tower with lantern, gallery, enclosed watch room, and central cylinder; 3rd order Fresnel lens in use. Lighthouse painted red; lantern dome is gray metallic. The lighthouse is named Kapelludden (Chapel Point) for the picturesque ruins of St. Birgitta's Chapel located nearby. A good 2005 photo is available, Marinas.com has aerial photos, Huelse has a historic postcard view of the chapel ruins and lighthouse, and Google has a fuzzy satellite view. Located on a point of land on the central east coast of Öland, about 3 km (2 mi) southeast of Bredsättra. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SWE-211; SV-5498; Admiralty C7270; NGA 7740.

Mörbylånga Municipality (South Öland) Lighthouses
* Segerstad
1883. Active; focal plane 21 m (69 ft); three long (2.5 s) flashes every 20 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 22 m (72 ft) round stone tower with lantern and gallery; 4th order Fresnel lens in use. Lighthouse painted white; lantern dome is greenish metallic. 1-1/2 story red brick keeper's house. Bengt Ake Larsson has a good 2007 photo, Trabas has Karl-Heinz Wellm's photo, Marinas.com has aerial photos, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a point of land on the southeast coast of Öland a short distance north of the village of Segerstad. According to Anke and Jens, some local guidance may be needed to find the road to the lighthouse. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SWE-057; SV-5515; Admiralty C7274; NGA 7736.
**** Ölands Södra Udde (Öland South End, "Långe Jan")
1785. Active; focal plane 41 m (135 ft); two white flashes every 30 s; also a continuous passing light at a focal plane of 19 m (62 ft), white, red or green depending on direction. 41.5 m (36 ft) round cylindrical stone tower with lantern and gallery; 3rd order Fresnel lens in use. Lighthouse painted white with one black horizontal band; lantern dome painted red. Johan Wildenius's photo is at the top of this page, Trabas has Karl-Heinz Wellm's photo, another good photo is available, Marinas.com has aerial photos, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. The surrounding area (the Ottenby Naturreservat) is a nature preserve very popular for birding; a modern keeper's house has been converted into a visitor center and museum for birders. The historic lighthouse is well kept and was repainted during 2009. Located at the southern tip of Öland. Site open, tower open during the summer season (schedule not available). ARLHS SWE-041; SV-5528; Admiralty C7280; NGA 7720.
Ölands Södra Grund (Ölandsrev)
1951 (lightship station established 1919). Active; focal plane 33 m (108 ft); one long white flash every 8 s. 35 m (115 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower, centered on a round 3-story concrete keeper's house, all mounted on a large round caisson. Tower painted black with red horizontal bands; the keeper's house is unpainted gray concrete. Capt. Peter Mosselberger's photo is at right, and Wikimedia has a distant view. The construction of this tower was a significant engineering accomplishment. Located in the Baltic about 20 km (13 mi) east southeast of the southern tip of Öland. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SWE-299; Admiralty C7284; NGA 7724.
Ölands Södra Grund Fyr
Ölands Södra Grund Fyr
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger
used by permission

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Nyköping Area | East: Gotland | West: Kalmar

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Posted June 4, 2007. Checked and revised September 6, 2011. Lighthouses: 9. Site copyright 2011 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.