Cultural Heritage in the Baltic Sea States         The lighthouse keeper’s day revolved around the lamp. It had to be kept scrupulously clean and was tended from dusk until dawn every day. Additional duties included the transportation of fuel to the lighthouse and the regular maintenance of the buildings. They were also responsible for the fog signal, the weather station and played a major role in search and rescue at sea. It was a dangerous and lonely existence for the lighthouse keepers and their families who formed their own small communities at the stations. The women took care of domestic matters and the children, who either attended a school at the lighthouse or were sent to boarding schools on the mainland. During the winter when ice covered the sea, many of the Baltic lights were extinguished. However the keepers and their families remained at the station all year round. During these hazardous and isolated winter months men were often lost on hunting trips and others were lost through illness and accidents.   Emanuel Pettersson, the decorated boatswain and lighthouse keeper, on his retirement from Holmögadds lighthouse, Sweden c.1848-1882. © Private Collection.         Lighthouse personnel with their families on a summer’s day 1925 at Eggegrunds lighthouse, Sweden. © Private Collection. Lighthouse personnel for the two towers at Gotska Sandön, Sweden 1888. © Private Collection. The schoolroom at Högbondens lighthouse, Sweden c. 1910. © Private Collection   © Polish Maritime Museum