Landsort

Landsort, is a Swedish village and a lighthouse on the island of Öja. The tower was built in 1689, with an upper conical iron section added in 1870. Open fires have been lit here since a long time ago.

The first "real" lighthouse was lit in 1651 and, until the now-standing tower was built, a couple of different buildings were used as the lighthouse. The 1689 tower was constructed to carry an open fire which ran on coal. In 1840, a colza oil lamp was installed. The flame ran on paraffin from 1887, and in 1938 it was electrified. Today the Swedish Maritime Administration owns and runs the lighthouse.

Landsort traditionally marks the southernmost point of the Stockholm Archipelago.

Climate

The Swedish weather service SMHI operates a meteorological station at Landsort. The southern end of the island has a typical oceanic climate with several maritime features. One of those is the delayed summer (May and June are very cool compared to nearby mainland areas), called seasonal lag. Also there is a very low diurnal temperature variation, which often results in very mild nights year-round compared with nearby cities and towns. Winters are more prone to cold than summers are to heat, due to the possibility of coastal ice eliminating maritime moderation in winter months when inland temperatures are colder. During non ice-risk months, all-time lows are much milder than during adjacent months. These cold snaps are very rare. It is a distinct microclimate with relatively low precipation for the reference period of 1961-1990.