Örskär

Template: Infobox Island / Maintenance / height missing

Örskär is an island that belongs to Gräsö socks in the municipality of Upplands Östhammar in the Archipelago. It is about 400 hectares in size. About 50 percent of the total area of ​​Örskär is a nature reserve. The island is famous for its flowers and its no less than 18 species of orchids. Örskär is one of the best places in the whole of Sweden, where you can very good for bird watching. Around 260 species are doing here in the course of a year station. He is also one of the few places in Sweden, where one has the possibility of the unusual little water frog ( Pelophylax lessonae) to see and hear. In addition, the island still has a very good population of elk and deer.

On Örskär there since the 17th century a lighthouse. In addition to the lighthouse of Landsort this is one of the oldest in Sweden. The first lighthouse was built in 1687. The new tower dates from 1740 and was built according to designs by Carl Hårleman. 1769 there the first blinking signal device in the world was installed. This was very much automated for their time and had a movement and rotating lenses. From the 1950s, the lighthouse was electrified. He was fully automated then in 1978. It is operated since that time by the Swedish Maritime Authority.

In addition to the lighthouse, there is a hostel. The island can be reached by a passenger boat from Gräsö or with a private boat.