FOR A LONG TIME, PATER NOSTER LIGHTHOUSE WAS MOST KNOWN AS AN IMPORTANT LIGHTHOUSE, A LIFELINE, AT THE MEETING BETWEEN MARSTRANDSFJORD AND THE VASTERN SEA. NOW WE FIND PATER NOSTER LISTED AMONG THE WORLD'S MOST UNIQUE HOTEL EXPERIENCES. VOYAGE GOT THE OPPORTUNITY TO CHECK IN – A NIGHT IN THE BAKER'S COTTAGE.
PHOTO ERIK NISSEN JOHANSEN

PATER NOSTER FIREPLACE out on Hamneskär was inaugurated on November 1, 1868, and during its years of operation it has helped many sailors navigate correctly and prevented them from shipwreck. Strong currents and many shallows meant that the lighthouse, a so-called Heidenstammare, designed by Gustav von Heidenstam, played an important role. I find information that 700 ships is said to have sunk in the area before the lighthouse was built.

Pater Noster, with its height of 36 meters, was the tallest of all the lighthouses Gustav von Heidenstam came to build, and it is therefore also called the "King of Lighthouses". To signal to the boats around how to navigate correctly, personnel were needed, so for over 100 years the lighthouse people lived out here, consisting of three families: lighthouse keeper, the lighthouse keeper and the lighthouse keeper with their respective families all year round. The sea, the wind and the weather were what determined the agenda. But the authorities also set requirements, if there were more than three children on the island, a school was required. One was set up in the attic and so was a teacher's residence. Stories that are still told today include gossip about the teacher's virgin birth.

THE KING OF FOUR The island also cared for shipwrecked people, and when ships and lives were saved, medals and salvagers' wages were awarded. In 1977, the lighthouse's operating years came to an end, worn out by the weather and wind, it was dismantled in 2002. Five years later, the King of Lighthouses was back in place, newly renovated, red, large and stately, she now stands here again. During the pandemic, absolutely magical images appeared in the media. The red lighthouse, the red cottages, the blue mighty sea. Father Noster had opened. Perhaps our need for something beautiful and unique at this particular time was a reason why they broke through the noise even internationally. The phone started to ring.

– They called from the USA and said they were calling from The Oscars, I thought they were calling for fun and hung up, says Mirja Lilja Hagsjö, CEO and majority owner of Pater Noster.

THE OSCARS ARE COMING
They didn't give up and eventually even Mirja understood that the conversation was real. The result was that all of the 2021 Oscar nominees got an overnight stay at Pater Noster in their Goodiebag! And Pater Noster in turn got attention that would have been impossible to pay for. The fact that now, several years later, there is speculation about which stars checked in keeps the curiosity alive.

The marketing of the film theme has continued and in collaboration with the Gothenburg Film Festival, the project was carried out The Isolated Cinema the same year – the prize that went to one person consisted of a check-in on the island and the opportunity to see all the festival's premieres out here!

In the car out to Marstrand from Gothenburg, I wonder if this little island will live up to my expectations. In total, nine rooms await here, with sleeping accommodations for up to 24 people, the price tag for an overnight stay starts at 15,000 SEK per night for two people, full board and the trip to and from the island in a RIB boat included. On the side of Marstrands Havshotell that faces the sea, the RIB boat that will take us out to Hamneskär. The sun is shining and the sea is seemingly calm.

The journey doesn't take more than 15 minutes today, when we get a little further out we encounter the waves. They're not really that high but we jump forward, the wind in our hair, the salt water splashing up. It's enjoyable to have a taste of the fact that there are forces in the sea that we can't control. Part of the story is that it's not always possible to get to or from the island.

AN EXHIBITION FOR THE SEA
As we glide into the harbor, it is suddenly completely still. Three large photographs, The Muses of Avatar of Christy Lee Rogers meets us on the edge of the pier. A little further in we find Mirja Lilja Hagsjö who welcomes us and pops the cork on a bottle Champagne. The fact that we are here today is about the exhibition that will now be shown. The sea is the theme, and the environment is in focus. This is the second year that this has been exhibited, outdoors. New motifs will probably find their way here next year. As an exhibition scene, the place is phenomenal, the 150 meter by 200 meter island offers both accessible and less accessible perspectives. At the same time, the environment itself becomes part of the art experience.

The day rolls on, presentations, conversations, artists telling stories, environmental issues being raised. We have arrived at an outdoor gig, singing and music. Sun and sea. Cliché warning on that one, but it is fabulous. Then it is time for most of those who have been here during the day to go home. I see how they step into two large RIB boats, slide out of the harbor and set off.

CHECKED IN AT THE BAKER'S STUDIO
I'm taking my bag inside. The Baker's Cottage, which is located in a very separate house and is the island's nice suite. A little earlier I have located the sauna and this is where I step in after changing. The wooden benches are warm, the view is beautiful, it is a good place to sit. Outside there is a bucket of cold water that cools you if you pull a string. The sea is inviting, you can swim from the sides of the island, but you have to keep an eye on where the wind is coming from. The stones that lead down to the sea are smooth, the stones in the water are also smooth but covered with what looks like moss, it is almost impossible not to slip.

I've been told that you can sometimes see seals here, the algae float around me. It's chilling and smells like the sea. A long moment in the hot tub and it starts to feel like I've landed. Being present here feels simple and obvious. We who are still on the island are now all invited to a drink in the old food cellar before dinner. Mirja once again pops up a bottle of champagne.

– We only have one kind of champagne here, I wanted one that was really good and unique, Yann Alexandre was our choice, says Mirja, who also says that guests come here just to drink a glass of this particular champagne.

WE ONLY HAVE ONE KIND OF CHAMPAGNE HERE, I WANTED ONE THAT WAS REALLY GOOD AND UNIQUE

A WALLED-IN MAN
Nowadays the food cellar is a wine cellar. A project that has been more dramatic than it was
intended. The renovation here included a body being found embedded in the walls. The drama is intense, what is true and what is not true is difficult to know but the fact remains. The story of a dead body is also what author Ann Rosman tells in her debut novel The lighthouse keeper's daughter.

The wine cellar today can be opened from two sides, and the view offers sea and wind. Stories from the past are part of the experience here. Every evening a communal dinner is served in the boathouse. A large and rustic room that invites without a lot of frills. Most of what we are served is taken from the sea, freshly caught. Added to this is algae in various forms, a nutritious ingredient that has increasingly come into focus from both a nutritional and an environmental perspective.

THEY CALLED FROM THE USA AND SAID THEY WERE CALLING FROM THE OSCARS, I THOUGHT THEY RINGED BUSY AND HANGED UP

We are sitting next to a couple from Brazil, they are on a trip through Europe. The main course is laid out and the conversations continue. Then and there I realize that I completely missed going up to the lighthouse! I excuse myself and leave.

UP IN PATER NOSTER
The sun is setting. I am alone inside the massive metal structure. The last of the 132 steps up are on the outside of the lighthouse itself. It is a bit scary to look down but magical to come up. The lamp in the middle and a 360 degree The view awaits here. You can walk around both indoors and outdoors, I choose to stay inside. The sun hangs low and the clouds above are gray, there is a fiery yellow glow at the lower edge of the sky. Light winds make me think of strong winds. I wonder what it would feel like to be up here in a storm. In another time, it was less about the feeling and more about the necessity, the right light signals saved lives.

I go back downstairs and end the day with dessert, an open window and the sound of the ocean. The next morning breakfast is served in lighthouse keeper dining room. A cup of coffee on a cliff. A book that can be taken with you to the writing den. The sea outside. The blanket is nice. The peace and pleasure, magical. This is luxury, of a kind that more and more of us need today. I'll let my text stay here...

PATER NOSTER – A HOME ON THE HORIZON
Out on Hamneskär
Open: April to October for private guests
Price example Four-person package including full board, from 7,500 SEK/person
Year round: open for groups by arrangement
www.paternoster.se