Utö is a small island in the Archipelago Sea in the Baltic sea and belongs to Väståboland municipality. It is the southernmost year-round inhabited island in Finland. On the island there's a lighthouse, pilot station, a small guest harbour, a hotel, a shop and a post office.
The first lighthouse in Finland was built in Utö island in 1753. The first lighthouse was blown up during a war (1808 - 09). The existing lighthouse was built in 1814. At first, there used to be two lighthouse keepers but during the Russian period, there was four operators. Chief lighthouse keeper was the highest authority in the island.
In the third level of the lighthouse, there is a church. The church is popular place for weddings although the island is quite remote. This lighthouse church is probably the oldest in the world and is mentioned for the first time in 1841. The priest used to come to the church only twice a year. Oldest men of the village used to read religious texts on Sunday evenings.
The lighthouse can be visited during guided tours. Unfortunately, it is not possible to see the lens, which dates back to year 1906.
Utö WWW-pages