THE NAVARNA

The Navens lighthouse has for many years been owned by the Vänerns Seglationsstyrelsen but is now run by the Swedish Maritime Administration and is leased as private summer accommodation. The lighthouse at Naven was managed by Jon Persson, who lived at Skogudden near Pirum. His son Johannes Jonsson then became a lighthouse keeper on Navens lighthouse and was succeeded in 1872 by his son Carl Fredrik. In November 1899, Carl Fredrik Jonsson was killed when he was with the eldest son on the boat Gustav Adolf on the Byälven river to load firewood. His wife Tilda onsson was left alone, pregnant, with 13 children. She managed the lighthouse and the fishing with the help of the older children.

The lighthouse watch service was taken over in 1900 by Carl Fredik’s son Gustav, who came to serve at Naven until 1945. The latter years Karl Jonsson took over the service after his father and was active as a lighthouse keeper at Naven until 1981. Stig-Olof Jonsson took over the service after his father in 1981 and his brother Rolf Jonsson took over Valter Andersson’s lighthouse service at Lurö in 1991. Together they managed the Naven – Lurö district on Lake Vänern. Rolf left in 2001 after 32 years of service on the Board of Sailing to retire as a mate in the merchant fleet and after 22 years Stig-Olof quit as a lighthouse keeper.

In the early 50’s, Karl and his wife Evy built their house at Navensberg and moved there with their sons. Then there was no road down to it, but it was built in the late 50’s. In 2011, Rolf’s daughter Cecilia moved into their house and Cecilia is the sixth generation Jonsson