Name and Location

The Smygehuk Fyr, also known as "Sveriges sydspets­fyr" ("The Lighthouse at Sweden’s Southern Tip"), is located in Smygehamn, Trelleborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden. The official address is Smyge Fyrväg 194, and the coordinates are 55°20′18″ N, 13°21′09″ E (lat 55.3384634, lon 13.3526903).

2. Construction and History

The original lighthouse was built in 1883 as a cast-iron tower 12 meters high to serve the increasing summer passenger and fishing-boat traffic along the Skåne coast. The lantern was upgraded to a third-order Fresnel lens in the early 1900s, and the tower was fully automated by 1965. In 1957, the old tower was dismantled and replaced with a new 17-meter reinforced-concrete tower.

3. Architecture and Materials

The current lighthouse is constructed from reinforced concrete, chosen for its durability against strong Baltic winds and salt spray. The cylindrical shaft tapers slightly toward the lantern gallery. The lantern room is steel-framed, glazed with heat-tempered safety glass, and has a red, pyramidal roof.

4. Light and Navigation

The lighthouse emits a group flashing light characteristic of three white flashes every 15 seconds (Fl(3) W 15s), visible for 17 nautical miles (approximately 31 km). The nominal range is 17 nautical miles.

5. Accessibility and Visiting

The lighthouse grounds are open year-round, with no admission fee. Guided tours of the tower interior are available mid-June through mid-August, daily from 11 to 17 hours. The fee for adults is SEK 50, while children under 16 pay SEK 25. Advance booking via the Trelleborg Tourist Office is recommended.

6. Notable Views and Landscape

The lighthouse offers a panoramic view of the Baltic Sea, with Germany's island of Rügen visible on clear days. The surrounding landscape features low coastal cliffs, pebble beaches, and heathland with sea buckthorn and heather.

7. Anecdotes and Folklore

Local folklore holds that mermaids once sheltered shipwrecked fishermen off Smygehuk; the modern sculpture commemorates this legend. In 1898, the three-masted bark "Stenhammaren" ran aground just east of the point, and all crew were rescued by the newly organized Swedish Sea Rescue Society.

8. Technical and Operational Details

The lighthouse is fully automated since 1965, with solar-charged batteries for emergency operation and a backup battery in case of power failure. The original kerosene burner was replaced by a 1 kW xenon flash lamp.

9. Further Information

For further reading, consult the Sjöfartsverket's "Svenska fyrvårdar" (Annual Light List), the National Heritage Board (RAÄ) building registry for Smygehuk fyr, or Wikipedia.