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 lighthouses of the county of Västernorrland, a county located in the north of the country. The coastline of the county faces east on the Gulf of Bothnia, with Finland on the other side of the gulf, roughly 175-250 km (110-150 mi) away. This southern portion of the gulf is known in Sweden as the Bothnian Sea (Bottenhavet). The coast in the Örnsköldsvik, Kramfors, and Härnösand municipalities is known as the High Coast (Höga Kusten). Since the last ice age this coast has risen about 300 m (about 1000 ft), creating tall cliffs and other unusual geological features. The area has been recognized as a Unesco World Heritage Area. 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). 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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Information available on lost lighthouses: |
![]() Brämön Light, Sundsvall, 2008 ex-Panoramio photo copyright Joakim and Sandra Söderberg; used by permission |
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Western Bothnia | South: Southern Bothnia
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key
Posted August 13, 2007. Checked and revised November 12, 2023. Lighthouses: 23. Site copyright 2023 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.