Pater Noster on Hamneskär

Bohuslän · Schweden · Lighthouse

Seafarers said the Our Father when the skerries came into sight — the current and the treacherous shoals gave no second chances, and the water inside is full of wrecks.

South-west of Tjörn lies a scattered swarm of ninety-seven islets and skerries, and their name comes from a prayer. Pater Noster is Latin for Our Father, and the name goes back to Catholic times, before the 1520s: according to tradition, seafarers recited the prayer when the skerries came into sight, hoping to reach land, because strong currents and treacherous shoals had made these waters among the worst in Bohuslän. Others hold that the scattered points of the archipelago resembled the beads of a rosary and gave the name that way. On the outermost skerry, Hamneskär, an iron lattice tower was raised in 1868 and burned until the light was extinguished in 1977. The station was abandoned, the tower rusted apart in the sea wind and was taken down for restoration before being raised again. Today it stands alone on the rock, and the open water inside is still full of wrecks.

FAQ

Wo befindet sich Pater Noster on Hamneskär?

Pater Noster on Hamneskär liegt in Bohuslän, Schweden.