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Bornholm: The pearl of Baltic Sea

A small fishermen’s village

Almeria Allen (The Jakarta Post)
Bornholm
Sun, September 23, 2012

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Bornholm: The pearl of Baltic Sea

A small fishermen’s village.

Legend says that when God had finished creating the Nordic countries, He still had a bit left with all the best pieces of nature.

He had a bit of the steepest rocks, the most foaming sea, the finest sand, the most beautiful views and the most wonderful woods.

With His big hands, He kneaded all these bits together and then threw them far out in the Baltic Sea.

That is how the Danish island of Bornholm, which is known as “The pearl of Baltic Sea” for the Mediterranean-feel of its location, was created.

Bornholm is probably not that popular among Americans but it is a favorite spot for Scandinavians, Germans and Poles because it is located in east of Denmark, south of Sweden and north of Poland, all within 100 kilometers.

The towns on Bornholm Island are known as fishing towns due to the heavy involvement in the production of smoked herring.

Back in the days of the Vikings, Bornholm was a well established trading point in the Baltic Sea between Germany, Sweden and Poland.

Views in Svaneke’s city center.
Views in Svaneke’s city center.
As with the majority of people in Denmark, Bornholm was also a Catholic place. At that time, fasting Catholics were only allowed to eat fish, making herring their main source of income since the 13th century.

Historically, Bornholm was not a very quiet place. Due to its strategic location as a trading point, the island suffered wars from the medieval times to the early modern age.

The long war between Denmark and Sweden earned Bornholm a place in history. Bornholm was under Danish control before the Germans took it over in World War II.

Germany used the island as a “natural fortress”, utilizing its perfect position to keep enemy submarines and destroyers away from Nazi-occupied waters. Some military defenses were built during the war to defend the Germans, but none of them were actually ever used.

In 1945, Russia freed the island from the Germans and would not leave Denmark’s crown jewel until some privileges were granted.

These days, if you come to Bornholm from Copenhagen, it is cheaper to take a bus toward the Swedish port of Ystad, from where you transfer to a ferry to Rønne, the biggest city in Bornholm.
Bornholm’s juice and honey.
Bornholm’s juice and honey.

Since most European countries are within the Schengen visa zone, a visiting Indonesian tourist can use their existing visa to visit Bornholm as part of a wider European tour.

If you need a little exercise, you can also go biking. You can take your bike on the ferry and continue biking again on the island.

The following six towns are great places to spend your summer in Bornholm. They all have sandy beaches as well as rocky coasts and green forests, each with their own specialty.

Rønne — the largest town on the island with a population of 13,800 people — offers things like many other cities do, only maybe in a smaller scope, from a ferry terminal and airport to shopping places and nightlife.

If you like island hopping, Gudhjem has a ferry to go to the nearby island of Christiansø (“ø” means “island” in Danish). Rønne also offers you some art and crafts for souvenirs.

In Gudhjem, you can visit the ancient fortress of Hammershus. The fortress is a ruin from the war and now is an interesting place for tourists.

Hammershus is Northern Europe’s largest medieval fortification, situated 74 meters above sea level on Hammeren, the northern tip of Bornholm.
Svaneke kirke built on the small path to the city center with the view of the sea.
Svaneke kirke built on the small path to the city center with the view of the sea.

Visitors traveling to Hammershus can enjoy spectacular views of the coastline and the sea surrounding Bornholm. South of the castle is a deep valley, water filled hollows and dense forest.

Allinge and its sister village Sandvig are located on the northeastern side of Bornholm, where tourists first started coming in the 1880s. Allinge was part of Gudhjem and from here you can also reach Christiansø and the ruins of Hammershus.

In this small town, you can still see old half-timbered houses and newly built hotels to accommodate tourists.

Allinge began as a fishing village but today the harbor is increasingly used by private yachts and sailboats as well as ferries.

Nexø is a fishing town on the east side of Bornholm and home to 3,700 people. Most of the island’s fishing industry is located here.

Åkirkeby is the main town in the southern part of Bornholm, with a population of 2,100 people.

Beyond the brilliant, varied and exciting nature in southern Bornholm, Åkirkeby — literally translated as “city of churches” — has attractions other than the round churches unique to Bornholm, including an attractive automobile museum, a beautiful Dutch windmill and a lot of crafts.

Tourism in the city of Hasle is not as dominant as other cities on the island. Yet, you will still find good experiences in its old city center, forest, sea and sandy beach.

On our trip, we chose Svaneke.

If you like Danish design and want to have collection of a unique, simple hand-blown glass, Svaneke is the place. If you are into beer, this town has the best known miniature brewery on Bornholm, the Svaneke Bryghus.

Children may not be interested in glass artwork, or beers, but am sure they would love to go to a candy store.

Svaneke Bolcher is a popular place for locals and tourists alike where colorful candy is made on the spot. Visitors can also enjoy Joboland, an amusement park just outside Svaneke.
Birds’ nest built between the Svaneke city center and the camping site.
Birds’ nest built between the Svaneke city center and the camping site.

The history of Svaneke dates back to the 13th Century, when herring fishing was practiced along Bornholm’s eastern coast. Although the town was engulfed in by fire in 1610, the population doubled in early 19th century as the new harbor offered better opportunities through shipbuilding.

The expansion of trade and shipbuilding in the 18th and 19th centuries in Svaneke resulted in the construction of fine merchants’ houses that still line the harbor.

Unlike many of the other towns on Bornholm, Svaneke was largely untouched by modernization following the opening of the island’s railways at the beginning of the 20th century. Its old look was further protected toward the end of the century by The Friends of Svaneke, a group that worked to prevent inappropriate renovation of the city’s heritage buildings.

During our visit to Svaneke, we stayed at a Hullehavn camping site. If you have a camper, you can choose to park directly facing the sea or you can also pitch your own tent by the beach or under a tree.

However, if you do not have a camper or a tent, no need to worry. The campsite provides you with tents for rent. Each tent can accommodate either two or four people and features a bed, a small dining table with chairs, electricity, a stove, a fridge, and kitchen utensils — just like a little house. You only need to bring your own bed sheets and blankets as the tents do not have a heater. Even in summer, temperatures in Bornholm can drop to 5-10 degrees Celsius. However, once inside the tent you will sleep like a baby with the sound of the sea and wake up each morning to the sounds of singing birds.

We brought our own food and also prepared some food in the tent. A friend even brought teri balado (small fried fish in chili sauce) while I brought my rendang beef stew along. We also had eggs, cereal and bread with cheese and jam for breakfast.

You can also fish at the campsite, and we caught three horn fish, which we fried and ate just about as quickly as they touched our plates.

Occasionally, the camping site offers a barbecue for a certain price. Normally, the barbeque features grilled pork but you can order beef, chicken or fish. You can enjoy a little barbecue party together with other campers, complete with folk music, as an accordion and a singer accompany your dinner.

The campsite is just 1 kilometer from the city center. From the site, you can walk to the city where you will see Svaneke kirke (church) and the lighthouse. If you do not want to walk, you can rent a bike.
View from the bus on the way to Bornholm Island.
View from the bus on the way to Bornholm Island.

At the city center, you have to try Svaneke Is (ice cream). It is soft ice with many flavors to choose from.

Since you are in Denmark, you also have to try lakrids, one of the country’s specialties. Personally, the original lakrids has a taste like a hot Fishermen’s Friend candy or like cough medicine, but as an ice cream, it tastes very different.

If you are tired with the crowds in the city and the campers, you can walk along the rocky coastal to the rugged forest.

Although it is a tiny island in the Baltic Sea, Bornholm has many things in store for you to choose from.

— Photos by Almeria Allen

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