Bornholm Island Attractions
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SituationThe island of Bornholm lies in the Baltic 47 km/23 mi off the Swedish coast and about 150 km/95mi from Copenhagen. There are ferries to Ronne on Bornholm from Copenhagen and from the German port of Sassnitz.
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Rønne - Ny Kirke
8 km/5 mi northeast of Rønne on the island of Bornholm stands the round church of Nyker (1287), which has two stories and is the smallest on the island. It has a round barrel-vaulted roof resting on a massive central pillar. The inner walls have frescoes depicting scenes from Our Lord's Passion, Entombment and Resurrection, using mainly shades of yellow, green and light brown. Also to be seen are two fragments of a runic stone.Visitors are not permitted to enter during church services.
Rønne - Brogårdsten
9 km/5.5mi along the road to Hasle north of Rønne can be found the Brogårdsten, the most important runic stone on Bornholm. It was discovered in 1868 as a coping-stone on a bridge over the Bagå and set up at this spot. Dating from about 1100, the stone bears the following inscription: "Svenger had this stone erected for his father Toste and for his brother Alvlak and for his mother and sisters".
Hasle
Two km/1.25 mi along the Bornholm coast from Brogårdsten lies Hasle, a little port with a sturdy 14th century stone church with a half-timbered tower; the beautifully carved and painted winged altar is the work of a Lübeck artist and dates from around 1450. In July the Herring Festival is celebrated in Hasle.South of the town a sandy beach lies beyond some pine woods, and 7 km/4.5 mi to the north stretches a steep granite coast with a crag known as Jons Kapel (John's Chapel), which is 40m/130ft high.The town of Hasle has a population of about 1800 people.
Herring Festival
This annual weekend festival takes place in mid-July to celebrate the herring. Events include a parade, a funfair, a "Miss Herring" pageant, food and drink stalls, a craft market, and plenty of dancing and singing in the streets.
Allinge-Sandvig
On the north point of Bornholm are the twin resorts of Allinge-Sandvig, one of the most attractive holiday places on the island ("Sandvig" means "sandy bay"). Tømmehuset, at Vestergade 3 in Sandvig, houses a little local museum.In Allinge there are a number of attractive half-timbered houses, an interesting old Town Hall and a church, the oldest parts of which are Gothic.Outside the cemetery in Allinge stands an obelisk in memory of Russian soldiers who fell in the Second World War.Many old farms can be found in the small towns of Allinge and Sandvig.
Bornholm - Hammershus Castle Ruins
There is a rewarding walk northwards from Allinge-Sandvig, one of the most attractive resorts on the island of Bornholm, to the Hammeren Lighthouse, passing the Stejleberg (84m/276ft), the highest cliff on the island. Strategically placed on a rocky plateau to the southwest of the lighthouse lie the ruins of Hammershus Castle; these medieval castle ruins are the largest in Northern Europe. The former castle, built about 1250 as a protection against the Danish kings, was fought for violently on several occasions and then used as a quarry for building stone until placed under a preservation order in 1822.There is a magnificent view from the 74m/240ft high cliff, and there are interesting boat trips to be made from Hammershus, for example to the Våde Ovn, a cave 55m/180ft long. The walk along the footpath to the Slotslyngen woodland is considered one of the most beautiful in Denmark.
Allinge - Ols Round Church
Built in the 12th C. and restored in 1950-2, the round church of Ols (Ols Kirke) is situated 4 km/2.5 mi south of Allinge on the island of Bornholm. Dedicated to St Olaf, the church is 30m/100ft high and is the tallest on Bornholm. Because of the small diameter of the circular nave the church possesses something of the character of a fortress tower. When it was restored a ceramic relief by the sculptor Gunnar Hansen ("The Women at the Tomb") was set on the new altar table. In the porch are several 16th C. tombstones.
Gudhjem, Denmark
To the south of Allinge, on the island of Bornholm, the sea is fringed with cliffs along which winds a rocky path. Important places include Sandkås, Tejn, Stammershalle, the Helligdom Cliffs and the cliffs at Stevelen. 17 km/10 mi south of Allinge lies the fishing village of Gudhjem, with a harbor blasted out of the rock and numerous winding lanes and steep streets. The Municipal Museum is housed in the former station building. 3 km/2 mi to the south of the village the open-air Melstedgård Agricultural Museum at Melstedvej 25 is recommended; the museum is housed in a half-timbered farmhouse typical of those on Bornholm.The town has approximately 777 inhabitants.
Balticum Film and TV Festival
The Balticum Film and TV Festival (Gudhjem) usually takes place in May or June.
Bornholm Art Museum
A new Art Museum was opened to the north of Gudhjem in 1993. On display is a magnificent collection of paintings and decorative arts produced by the island's inhabitants. It concentrates on the Bornholm School, with works by such artists as Edvard Weie, Karl Isakson, Olaf Rude, Kræsten Iversen, Niels Lergaard and Oluf Høst providing fine examples of modern Danish painting. There are also sculptures and earlier paintings, together with Denmark's largest collection of arts and crafts outside Copenhagen.The museum is reputed to be one of the best samples of Danish architecture.
Østerlars - Round Church
In the south in Østerlars, a village inland from Gudhjem, stands the largest round church on the island of Bornholm; it was built in the 11th century and dedicated to St Laurence. The central pillar is hollow with internal ribbed vaulting. The space inside, known as the "oven", is joined to the rest of the nave by six arcades. On the exterior of the "oven" can be seen wall-paintings of 1350 portraying scenes from the life of Jesus and the Last Judgment. When the church was restored in 1955 the "oven" was converted into a baptistery with a granite font.The church is also one of the oldest in Bornholm.
Almindigen State Forest
South of Østerlars stretches the State Forest of Almindingen, with a number of small lakes and the highest hill on the island of Bornholm, the Rytterknægten (162m/530ft, viewing tower). Further north are the ruins of Lilleborg, which ranked with Hammershus as one of the two most important fortresses in Bornholm.
Svaneke, Denmark
On the Bornholm coast 7km/4.5 mi southeast of Gudhjem are the Randkløveskår Cliffs, and 8 km/5 mi further the picturesque little fishing town of Svaneke, with old houses and a post-mill of 1634. 3 km/2 mi southwest lies the Brændegårdshaven amusement park.The town offers beautiful local arts and craft, ceramics and antiques.
Nekso
The road to the south leads past the beautiful wooded Paradisbakkerne (Paradise Hills) to the port of Nekso, the largest fishing port on the island. Whereas the north of Bornholm is mainly granite, the subsoil near Nekso is predominantly sandstone. Many roads are, therefore, paved with sandstone and garden walls made of red sandstone. The old Town Hall now houses a museum mainly devoted to fishing.
Neksø - Martin Andersen Nexø Memorial
A memorial to the writer Martin Andersen Nexø has been installed in his parental home in Neksø. The collection is composed of a selection of books in various languages by or about Nexø, photographs and some of his personal belongings.
Balke - Dueodde Lighthouse
3 km/2mi south of Neksø lies Balke with a beach of fine sand. 7 km/4.5mi beyond this the southern tip of the island is reached; here are the Dueodde Lighthouse, rolling sand-dunes and a beach.
Akirkeby, Denmark
The only town on Bornholm not near the coast is Åkirkeby, 15 km/10mi inland. It boasts a handsome 12th C. stone church, the largest medieval church on the island, with a Romanesque font embellished with reliefs and runic inscriptions, as well as a Renaissance altar and pulpit carved by an artist from Lund in Sweden.The Church of the Rosary (Rosanskranskirke; 1932; R.C.) is one of the most attractive modern churches in Denmark. Its adornments include frescoes by the Finnish artist Birgitta Reckelsen and an oak altar-table.
Nylars - Round Church
Along the road to Rønne (16 km/10 mi) passes through Nylars, where stands the latest and best preserved of Bornholm's round churches. In this church can be seen wall-paintings depicting the Creation and the Fall of Man. In the porch hangs a huge cross dating from the Renaissance.The origin of the Nylars church dates back to 1165.
Pea Islands
ChristiansøIn the Baltic Sea northeast of Bornholm lies the group of islands called Ertholmene (Pea Islands); they can be reached by boat from Allinge, Gudhjem and Svaneke. On the main island of Christiansø can be seen extensive fortifications installed by Christian V in 1684. When Christiansø lost its importance as a naval base in the 19th C. a number of poets and artists settled here.The neighboring island of Frederiksø was once notorious as a place of exile; its most intereresting building is the Lille Tarn (Little Tower), now a museum with a 17th C. model of the castle on Christiansø, rifles and cannon, old furniture and utensils. On Græsholm, which is closed to the public, there is a bird sanctuary.
Bornholm Medieval Centre
The Medieval Center of Bornholm is a 27 acre open air museum where visitors can observe people in period costume going about their work. This recreation of a medieval environment features houses, workshops, soldier camps, animals and archery courses. Rural cottages can be found in the medieval center of Bornholm. The center continues to be under expansion.
Bornholm - Joboland
Joboland is a 6000 square meter water park. It has five slides, row boats, a river raft ride, mini-golf a small zoo and a garden. It is also home to the largest flower clock in Europe and houses a vast variety of plants and flowers.
Map of Bornholm Island Attractions
Map - Bornholm
