Bornholm

For other uses, see Bornholm (disambiguation).

Bornholm

Geography
Location	Baltic Sea
Coordinates	55°8′35″N 14°55′15″E
Area	588.36 km2 (227.17 sq mi)
Highest elevation	162 m (531 ft)
Administration
Denmark
Demographics
Population	39,632
Pop. density	67.36/km2 (174.46/sq mi)

Location of Bornholm in Region Hovedstaden.

Bornholm (Danish: [bɒːnˈhʌlˀm]; Template:Lang-non) is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of the westernmost part of Poland. Occupying an area of 588.36 square kilometres (227.17 sq mi), the island had a total population on 1 January 2018 of 39,632.

Among Bornholm's chief industrial activities are dairy farming and arts-and-crafts-based industries such as glass production and pottery using locally worked clay. Tourism is also important during the summer months. The island is home to an especially large number of Denmark's round churches.

The island is known as solskinsøen (Sunshine Island) because of its weather and klippeøen (Rock Island) because of its geology, which consists of granite, except along the southern coast. The heat from the summer is stored in the rock formations and the weather is quite warm until October. As a result of the climate, a local variety of the common fig, known as Bornholm's Diamond, can grow locally on the island. The island's topography consists of dramatic rock formations in the north (unlike the rest of Denmark, which is mostly gentle rolling hills) sloping down towards pine and deciduous forests (greatly affected by storms in the 1950s), farmland in the middle and sandy beaches in the south.

Strategically located in the Baltic Sea, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. Usually it had been ruled by Denmark, but also by Lübeck, Germany and Sweden. The ruin of Hammershus, at the northwestern tip of the island, is the largest medieval fortress in northern Europe, testament to the importance of its location. This island and Ertholmene is what remains in Denmark of Skåneland east of Øresund, having been surrendered to Sweden in 1658 but with Bornholm regained by a local revolt in 1660.

Bornholm Regional Municipality, established January 2003 by the merger of Bornholm County with 5 municipalities, covers the entire island. Bornholm was one of the three last Danish municipalities (Template:Lang-da) not belonging to a county — the others were Copenhagen and Frederiksberg. On 1 January 2007, the municipality lost its short-lived (2003 until 2006) county status and became part of the Capital Region of Denmark.

The island is situated between 54°59'11" and 55°17'30" northern latitude and 14°45' and 15°11' eastern longitude.

Directly west of Bornholm across the Baltic Sea mostly on the island of Sjælland are several municipalities of Region Sjælland: Stevns, Faxe, Næstved (the part that used to be the municipality of Fladså) and Vordingborg, including Møn, which is around 135 kilometres (84 miles) across the Baltic Sea.

It typically takes 2–3 hours for passengers and freight (ferry: 1 hour 21 minutes (67 km); driving: 1 hour (83 km)) to travel between Rønne and Copenhagen via Ystad in Sweden. There is a ferry departure mostly reserved for freight of goods between Rønne and Køge (5½ hour travel time (164 km)). If there is capacity on a departure, "normal" passengers can come aboard. There are also ferry routes to Sassnitz and Świnoujście. Between Bornholm Airport and Copenhagen Airport by airplane it is 25 minutes.

The Ertholmene archipelago is located 18 kilometres (11 miles) to the northeast of Bornholm. These islands, which do not belong to a municipality or region, are administered by the Danish Ministry of Defence.

Language

Main article: Bornholmsk dialect

Many inhabitants speak the Bornholmsk dialect, which is officially a dialect of Danish. Bornholmsk retains three grammatical genders, like Icelandic and most dialects of Norwegian, but unlike standard Danish. Its phonology includes archaisms (unstressed [a] and internal [d̥, ɡ̊], where other dialects have [ə] and [ð̞, ʊ / ɪ]) and innovations ([tɕ, dʝ] for [kʰ, ɡ̊] before and after front-tongue vowels). This makes the dialect difficult to understand for some Danish speakers. However, Swedish speakers often consider Bornholmian to be easier to understand than standard Danish. The intonation resembles the Scanian dialect spoken in nearby Scania, the southernmost province of Sweden.

Municipality

Result of referendum 29 May 2001 on merger of municipalities with the county 1 January 2003

Municipality	Yes		No
	Votes	Percent	Votes	Percent
Allinge-Gudhjem	3590	74	1287	26
Hasle	2886	70	1219	30
Nexø	3218	59	2252	41
Rønne	7754	85	1366	15
Aakirkeby	3131	74	1118	26
Total:27821	20579	74	7242	26

Ferry routes to and from Bornholm

Bornholm and Christiansø hundreds and 5 municipalities (1970–2002) in green colour and 21 municipalities before 1 April, 1970

Parishes in Church of Denmark numbered

Unofficial flag of Bornholm (the tourist flag).

Unofficial flag of Bornholm. Dannebrog is clearly visible with the green cross inserted in the white cross.

Old coat of arms of Bornholm.

Bornholm Regional Municipality is the local authority (Danish, kommune) covering the entire island. It is the result of a merger of the five former (1 April 1970 until 2002) municipalities on the island (Allinge-Gudhjem, Hasle, Nexø, Rønne and Aakirkeby) and the former Bornholm County. Bornholm Regional Municipality was also a county in its own right during its first four years from 1 January 2003 until 31 December 2006. From 1 January 2007 all counties were abolished, and Bornholm became part of the Capital Region of Denmark whose main responsibility is the health service. The municipality still retains its name Bornholm Regional Municipality. The island had 21 municipalities until March 1970, of which 6 were market towns and 15 parishes. In addition to supervising parish municipalities, which was the responsibility of the counties in all of Denmark, the market town municipalities of Bornholm were supervised by Bornholm County as well and not by the Interior Ministry as was the case in the rest of Denmark. The seat of the municipal council is the island's main town, Rønne. The voters decided to merge the county with the municipalities in a referendum May 29, 2001, effective from January 1, 2003. The question on the ballot was, "Do you want the six municipal entities of Bornholm to be joined to form one municipal entity as of 1 January 2003?" 73.9% of those voting ticked off the box "Ja" (English, Yes) on the ballot. The lowest percentage for the merger was in Nexø municipality, whose mayor, Annelise Molin, a Social Democrat, spoke out against the merger. It was required that each municipality had more "Yes" votes than "No" votes. Otherwise the merger would have to be abandoned altogether. The six municipal entities had 122 councillors (of which county clls were 15) and the new regional municipality would have 27 councillors from the start. They were reduced to 23 from 1 January 2018 (election November 2017). The merger was approved in a law by the Folketing 19 March 2002, transferring the tasks of the abolished county and old municipalities to the new Bornholm Regional Municipality. The first regional mayor in the first three years from 2003 until 2005 was Thomas Thors (born 28 July 1949), a physician and member of the Social Democrats and previously the last mayor of Rønne Municipality for five years from 1998 until 2002. Bjarne Kristiansen, who was the last mayor of Hasle 2½ years from the summer of 2000 until 2002, representing the local Borgerlisten political party, served as mayor for four years from January 1, 2006 until 2009. From January 1, 2007, Bornholm became a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. From January 1, 2010 the mayor has been Winni Grosbøll, a high school teacher and a member of the Social Democrats (Socialdemokratiet) political party.

Ferry services connect Rønne to Świnoujście (Poland), Sassnitz (Germany), Køge, 45 kilometres (28 miles) by road (34 kilometres or 21 miles as the crow flies) south of Copenhagen, Denmark; the destination to Køge replaced the nighttime route directly to and from Copenhagen (for both cargo and passengers) from 1 October 2004; and catamaran services to Ystad (Sweden). Simrishamn (Sweden) has a ferry connection during the summer. There are also regular catamaran services between Nexø and the Polish ports of Kołobrzeg, Łeba and Ustka. There are direct bus connections Ystad-Copenhagen, coordinated with the catamaran. There are also flights from Bornholm Airport to Copenhagen and other locations.

Because of its remote location Bornholm Regional Municipality has its own traffic company, BAT, and is its own employment region, and also performs other tasks normally carried out by the regions in the rest of Denmark. In some respects the municipality forms a region of its own.

Bornholm Regional Municipality was not merged with other municipalities on 1 January 2007 in the nationwide Municipal Reform of 2007.

Towns and villages

The larger towns on the island are located on the coast and have harbours. There is however one exception, centrally placed Aakirkeby, which was also the name of the municipality from 1970 until 2002, which also included the harbor, Boderne, 5 kilometres (3.1 miles) to the south. The largest town is Rønne, the seat, in the southwest. The other main towns (clockwise round the island) are Hasle, Allinge-Sandvig, Gudhjem, Svaneke and Nexø. Monday morning 22 September 2014 it was documented by Folkeregistret in the municipality that the number of people living in the municipality that day were 39,922, the lowest number in over 100 years.

As of 2018, Statistics Denmark gave the populations as follows:

Rønne 12,887 Nexø 3,644 Aakirkeby 2,083 Hasle 1,622 Allinge-Sandvig 1,489 Svaneke 1,078 Tejn 890

Gudhjem 723 Snogebæk 715 Nyker 701 Klemensker 639 Sorthat-Muleby 519 Østermarie 486 Aarsdale 387

Lobbæk 355 Østerlars 238 Balka 214 Vestermarie 256 Pedersker 242 Nylars 228 Listed 204

The town of Rønne after the merger of the island's administrative entities 1 January 2003 reached a low point of 13568 inhabitants 1 January 2014. 15957 people in 1965 (date unknown;number not registerbased) lived in the two parishes that would become Rønne municipality from 1 April 1970. In the table, numbers for Rønne are for the parish of Rønne, Rønne Sogn, alone. Year unknown. It does not include Knudsker Sogn, which was also a part of Rønne Municipality. Other localities (with approximate populations, not updated) include Aarsballe (86), Arnager (151), Olsker (67), Rutsker (64), Rø (181), Stenseby (?) and Vang (92). In 2010 and 2018 10,297 and 9,111 respectively lived in rural districts, and 88 and 71 had no fixed address.

Demography

Births:327 (2006);347 (2007);366 (2008);301 (2009);306 (2010);235 (2011);261 (2012);247 (2013);250 (2014);249 (2015);244 (2016);264 (2017);

Deaths:552 (2006);595 (2007);544 (2008);543 (2009);562 (2010);541 (2011);566 (2012);490 (2013);557 (2014);533 (2015);538 (2016);594 (2017);

Births – Deaths:-225 (2006);-248 (2007);-178 (2008);-242 (2009);-256 (2010);-306 (2011);-305 (2012);-243 (2013);-307 (2014);-284 (2015);-294 (2016);-330 (2017);

Population of parishes

Year:Beginning with 2007;2018;

• 7552. Rønne 11,752;11,539;
• 7553. Knudsker 2,821;2,729;
• 7554. Vestermarie 1,460;1,324;
• 7555. Nylarsker 924;832;
• 7556. Nyker 1,737;1,628;
• 7557. Hasle 1,887;1,747;
• 7558. Rutsker 684;570;
• 7559. Olsker 1,556;1,266;
• 7560. Allinge-Sandvig 1,860;1,527;
• 7561. Klemensker 1,737;1,555;
• 7562. Rø 503;418;
• 7563. Ibsker 1,322;1,148;
• 7564. Svaneke 1,082;981;
• 7565. Østerlarsker 997;811;
• 7566. Gudhjem 752;677;
• 7567. Østermarie 1,624;1,458;
• 7568. Christiansø 95;83;
• 7569. Aaker 3,479;3,201;
• 7570. Bodilsker 981;849;
• 7571. Nexø 3,884;3,670;
• 7572. Poulsker 1,215;1,061;
• 7573. Pedersker 715;570;

Note. Population numbers are from 1 January. Christiansø Parish (which encompasses Ertholmene) is not a part of Bornholm Regional Municipality. It is included because Danmarks Statistik includes it as parish number 7568. Bornholm has 21 parishes (2018). There are more than 2,100 parishes (2018) in the Church of Denmark.

Source:Statistikbanken.dk/Befolkning og valg/(table)FODIE (births);FOD207 (deaths);BEV107 (births;deaths;birth surplus);KM1 (parishes).

History

Hammershus Ruin.

In Old Norse the island was known as Borgundarholm, and in ancient Danish especially the island's name was Borghand or Borghund; these names were related to Old Norse borg "height" and bjarg/berg "mountain, rock", as it is an island that rises high from the sea. Other names known for the island include Burgendaland (9th century), Hulmo / Holmus (Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum), Burgundehulm (1145), and Borghandæholm (14th century). The Old English translation of Orosius uses the form Burgenda land. Some scholars believe that the Burgundians are named after Bornholm; the Burgundians were Germanic peoples who moved west when the Western Roman Empire collapsed and occupied and named Burgundy in France.

Windmill in Gudhjem, Bornholm

Bornholm formed part of the historical Lands of Denmark when the nation united out of a series of petty chiefdoms. It was originally administratively part of the province of Scania and was administered by the Scanian Law after this was codified in the 13th century. Control over the island evolved into a long-raging dispute between the See of Lund and the Danish crown culminating in several battles. The first fortress on the island was Gamleborg which was replaced by Lilleborg, built by the king in 1150. In 1149, the king accepted the transfer of three of the island's four herreder (districts) to the archbishop. In 1250, the archbishop constructed his own fortress, Hammershus. A campaign launched from it in 1259 conquered the remaining part of the island including Lilleborg. The island's status remained a matter of dispute for an additional 200 years.

Bornholm was pawned to Lübeck for 50 years starting in 1525. Its first militia, Bornholms Milits, was formed in 1624.

An 1877 windmill at Årsdale

Swedish forces conquered the island in 1645, but returned the island to Denmark in the following peace settlement. After the war in 1658, Denmark ceded the island to Sweden under the Treaty of Roskilde along with the rest of the Skåneland, Bohuslän and Trøndelag, and it was occupied by Swedish forces.

A revolt broke out the same year, culminating in Villum Clausen's shooting of the Swedish commander Johan Printzensköld on 8 December 1658. Following the revolt, a deputation of islanders presented the island as a gift to King Frederick III on the condition that the island would never be ceded again. This status was confirmed in the Treaty of Copenhagen in 1660.

Swedes, notably from Småland and Scania, emigrated to the island during the 19th century, seeking work and better conditions. Most of the migrants did not remain.

Rønne, Bornholm.

Bornholm also attracted many famous artists at the beginning of the 20th century, forming a group now known as the Bornholm school of painters. In addition to Oluf Høst, they include Karl Isaksson (1878–1922), from Sweden, and the Danes Edvard Weie (1879–1943), Olaf Rude (1886–1957), Niels Lergaard (1893–1982), and Kræsten Iversen (1886–1955).

German occupation (1940–1945)

Bornholm, as a part of Denmark, was captured by Germany on 10 April 1940, and served as a lookout post and listening station during the war, as it was a part of the Eastern Front. The island's perfect central position in the Baltic Sea meant that it was an important "natural fortress" between Germany and Sweden, effectively keeping submarines and destroyers away from Nazi-occupied waters. Several concrete coastal installations were built during the war, and several coastal batteries, which had tremendous range. However, none of them were ever used, and only a single test shot was fired during the occupation. These remnants of Nazi rule have since fallen into disrepair and are mostly regarded today as historical curiosities. Many tourists visit the ruins each year, however, providing supplemental income to the tourist industry.

On 22 August 1943 a V-1 flying bomb (numbered V83, probably launched from a Heinkel He 111) crashed on Bornholm during a test – the warhead was a dummy made of concrete. This was photographed or sketched by the Danish Naval Officer-in-Charge on Bornholm, Lieutenant Commander Hasager Christiansen. This was the first sign British Intelligence saw of Germany's aspirations to develop flying bombs and rockets which were to become known as V-1 and V-2.

Soviet occupation (1945–1946)

Bornholm was heavily bombarded by the Soviet Air Force in May 1945. The German garrison commander, German Navy Captain Gerhard von Kamptz (1902–1998), refused to surrender to the Soviets, as his orders were to surrender to the Western Allies. The Germans sent several telegrams to Copenhagen requesting that at least one British soldier should be transferred to Bornholm, so that the Germans could surrender to the western allied forces instead of the Soviets. When von Kamptz failed to provide a written capitulation as demanded by the Soviet commanders, Soviet aircraft relentlessly bombed and destroyed more than 800 civilian houses in Rønne and Nexø and seriously damaged roughly 3,000 more on 7–8 May 1945. The population had been forewarned of the bombardments, and the towns were evacuated, but 10 local people were killed, of which 1 in Nexø. Also soldiers were killed and wounded. Some of them were Baltic allies of Germany fighting the Soviets to remain independent.

During the Soviet bombing of the two main towns on 7 and 8 May, Danish radio was not allowed to broadcast the news because it was thought it would spoil the liberation festivities in Denmark. On 9 May Soviet troops landed on the island, and after a short fight, the German garrison (about 12,000 strong) surrendered. Soviet forces left the island on 5 April 1946.

Cold War

After the evacuation of their forces from Bornholm, the Soviets took the position that the stationing of foreign troops on Bornholm would be considered a declaration of war against the Soviet Union, and that Denmark should keep troops on it at all times to protect it from such foreign aggression. This policy remained in force after NATO was formed, with Denmark as a founding member. The Soviets accepted the stationing there of Danish troops, which were part of NATO but viewed as militarily inferior elements of the alliance, but they strongly objected to the presence of other NATO troops on Bornholm, in particular of US troops.

On 5 March 1953, the day of Stalin's death, a Polish pilot landed a MiG-15 fighter on the island. The pilot was granted asylum.

Sights and landmarks

Bornholm.

On the surface of Bornholm older geological formations can be seen better than in the rest of Denmark. Stubbeløkken – which is still operating (Danish i drift) – and Klippeløkken granite quarries in Knudsker parish just east of central Rønne – and statistically a part of the town – are among the few remaining quarries of what was once many active quarries on the island. The island's varied geography and seascapes attract visitors to its many beauty spots from the Hammeren promontory in the northwest to the Almindingen forest in the centre and the Dueodde beaches in the southeast. Of special interest are the rocky sea cliffs at Jons Kapel and Helligdomsklipperne, the varied topography of Paradisbakkerne and rift valleys such as Ekkodalen and Døndalen. Bornholm's numerous windmills include the post mill of Egeby and the well-kept Dutch mill at Aarsdale. The lighthouse at Dueodde is Denmark's tallest, while Hammeren Lighthouse stands at a height of 85 metres (279 ft) above sea level and Rønne Lighthouse rises over the waterfront.

Examples of roads that have (very) steep climbs and descents are: (inland) Simblegårdsvej in Klemensker, which begins by the village inn Klemens Kro, and Slamrebjergvej just outside Nexø extending northward from the main road from Rønne. Along the coast there are several steep roads, which is also the case in some parts of Denmark as a whole, for instance in and around Vejle.

The island hosts examples of 19th- and early-20th-century architecture, and about 300 wooden houses in Rønne and Nexø, donated by Sweden after World War II, when the island was repairing damage caused by the war. The island is home to 15 medieval churches, four of which are round churches with unique artwork and architecture. The ancient site of Rispebjerg has remains of sun temples from the Neolithic and earthworks from the Iron Age.

There are 14 European bison near Åkirkeby, attracting 100,000 visitors a year.

Education

Because of the almost dilapidated (Danish faldefærdige) state of their buildings – i.e. mold – all secondary educational facilities in Rønne for the young and older, including evening classes (grown-ups), i.e. one of the two? high schools and ?, will be under the same roof when they move to new buildings and renovated buildings at Campus Bornholm in 2018 at the address Minervavej in Rønne. Campus Bornholm is a merger formed in June 2010 consisting of Bornholms Erhvervsskole (young and grown-ups), Bornholm High School (young) and VUC Bornholm (grown-ups), then occupying separate addresses. Also learning institutions not part of this formalised collaboration will be housed at Minervavej in Rønne. The campus will then have ? (2017:around 1,600 young, over 4,100 grown-ups) students. Building costs:over 300 million DKK. The A.P. Møller Foundation will contribute a sum of 56 million DKK (8.76 million USD (29 June 2018)) to the project.

Famous people

Kristian Zahrtmann

Michael Ancher, self-portrait 1902

Vilhelm Herold as Lohengrin

Tulla Blomberg Ranslet

Pia Ranslet

Magnus Cort

Arts

• Peder Henrik Kristian Zahrtmann (1843 in Rønne – 1917) painter, favoured naturalism and realism
• Michael Ancher (1849 in Rutsker – 1927) realist artist, painted fishermen in Skagen
• Mathias Bidstrup (1852 in Rønne – 1929) architect of many buildings on Bornholm, schools, churches (including Gudhjem Church), train stations and the post office in Rønne
• Janus Laurentius Ridter (1854 in Aakirkeby) – 1921) painter and illustrator of topographical watercolours
• Vilhelm Herold (1865 in Hasle – 1937) operatic tenor, voice teacher, and theatre director
• Oluf Høst (1884 in Svaneke – 1966) Expressionist painter, the only native member of the Bornholm school of painters
• Else Højgaard (1906–1979) ballerina and an actress of stage and screen, noted for her fiery temperament and edgy intensity
• Gustaf Munch-Petersen (1912–1938) writer and painter. He moved to Bornholm in 1935
• Gertrud Vasegaard (1913–2007), a ceramist remembered for her stoneware, in 1933 she moved to Bornholm whence her family originated and opened a studio in Gudhjem.
• Arne Ranslet (1931 in Løgstør-2018) sculptor and ceramist, moved to Bornholm in 1955
• Tulla Blomberg Ranslet (born 1928) Norwegian painter, moved to Bornholm in 1955
• Ursula Munch-Petersen (born 1937 in Rønne) ceramist
• Bente Hammer (born 1950) textile artist and fashion designer, moved to Bornholm in 1987, opened a workshop and boutique
• Pia Ranslet (born 1956 in Allinge) painter and sculptor
• Klaus Bondam (born 1963 in Aakirkeby) actor and ex-politician
• Sofie Stougaard (born 1966 in Svaneke) actress
• Engelina Andrina Larsen (born 1978) singer and songwriter
• Aura Dione (born 1985) pop singer and songwriter

Science

• Peder Olsen Walløe (1716–1793) Dano-Norwegian Arctic explorer, explored the former Norse settlements on Greenland
• Peter Schousboe (1766 in Rønne – 1832) botanist and Danish consul general in Tangier
• Johan Nicolai Madvig (1804–1886) a Danish philologist and Kultus Minister of Denmark
• Peter Ludvig Panum (1820 in Rønne – 1885) physiologist and pathologist
• Dr. Lilli Nielsen (1926 in Rønne – 2013) psychologist, taught blind children and those with multiple disabilities

Business

• Hans Peder Kofoed (1743 in Svaneke – 1812) a Danish brewer, merchant and shipowner traded with Danish West Indies
• M.P. Möller (1854 in Østermarie – 1937), a pipe-organ builder and manufacturer, moved to the United States in 1872.
• Nicolai Nørregaard (born 1979 in Svaneke) chef and restaurateur

Public thinking

• Martin Andersen Nexø (1869–1954) socialist writer, moved to the island aged 8 and took his last name after the city of Nexø
• Vilhelm Grønbech (1873 in Allinge – 1948) cultural historian and professor of the history of religion at the University of Copenhagen
• Mogens Glistrup (1926–2008) controversial politician, lawyer and tax protester
• Flemming Kofod-Svendsen (born 1944 in Aakirkeby) an ordained minister in the Lutheran Church and a politician

Sport

• Hans Colberg (1921 in Klemensker – 2007) football player, over 200 pro appearances
• Allan Kuhn (born 1968) a Danish association football coach and former player.
• Julie Houmann (born in Rønne 1979) badminton player
• Lisbet Jakobsen (born 1987 in Nexø) rower
• Magnus Cort (born 1993) professional road bicycle racer
• Mathias Christiansen (born 1994) badminton player
• Amir Hadžiahmetović (born 1997 in Nexø) professional footballer

Electricity supply

Bornholm is connected to the Swedish electricity grid by a submarine 60 kV AC cable, which is among the longest AC cables in Europe. This cable is capable of delivering all the electrical energy consumed on Bornholm. However Bornholm also generates its own electricity at small thermal power plants and especially wind turbines.

Bornholm is also home to a large internationally funded demonstration project to test the viability of novel energy market mechanisms to regulate energy networks with a high prevalence of renewables (such as wind turbines and photovoltaics). 50% of the project is EU-funded, with the remainder coming mainly from large corporations. See http://www.eu-ecogrid.net/ecogrid-eu for more.

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1850	27,927	—
1901	40,677	+45.7%
1916	43,445	+6.8%
1925	45,550	+4.8%
1935	45,819	+0.6%
1945	47,185	+3.0%
1955	48,475	+2.7%
1965	48,620	+0.3%
1976	47,242	−2.8%
1981	47,370	+0.3%
1986	46,919	−1.0%
1990	45,784	−2.4%
1995	44,823	−2.1%
2000	44,238	−1.3%
2005	43,347	−2.0%
2010	41,802	−3.6%
2015	39,842	−4.7%
Source: statistikbanken.dk Statistical Yearbook 2009: Area and population. Regions and inhabited islands

Østerlars Church, one of Bornholm's four round churches

Ruins of Hammershus, a medieval fortress

On 22 September 2014 population numbers showed fewer than 40,000 inhabitants on the island for the first time in over 100 years. The Folkeregister in the municipality could document 39,922 inhabitants in the municipality on that date.

Climate

Bornholm has an oceanic climate relatively similar to southern Sweden and mainland Denmark, whose summer highs and winter lows are heavily moderated by its maritime and isolated position. Even though heat is rare, the climate is sunny during summers and rainfall is generally sparse for a climate of this type. The winter (November–December) 2010 – (January–April) 2011 was exceptionally extreme with snow depth reaching at least 146 cm, 2 inches short of 5 feet (snowdrifts 6 meters, almost 20 feet) the highest in Northern Europe. Military had to assist. The DMI estimated the weight of snow to be 100 million ton. 2013 was a cold year, with only June, July, and August being warm.

Climate data for Bornholm (1971–2000)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	8.9 (48.0)	9.7 (49.5)	15.1 (59.2)	26.6 (79.9)	27.2 (81.0)	31.7 (89.1)	31.9 (89.4)	32.0 (89.6)	27.9 (82.2)	20.2 (68.4)	15.7 (60.3)	11.0 (51.8)	32.0 (89.6)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	2.7 (36.9)	2.4 (36.3)	4.5 (40.1)	8.9 (48.0)	14.5 (58.1)	17.9 (64.2)	20.1 (68.2)	20.5 (68.9)	16.4 (61.5)	11.9 (53.4)	7.3 (45.1)	4.4 (39.9)	10.9 (51.6)
Daily mean °C (°F)	0.9 (33.6)	0.4 (32.7)	2.1 (35.8)	5.5 (41.9)	10.5 (50.9)	14.3 (57.7)	16.8 (62.2)	17.0 (62.6)	13.4 (56.1)	9.5 (49.1)	5.4 (41.7)	2.6 (36.7)	8.2 (46.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−1.1 (30.0)	−1.7 (28.9)	−0.4 (31.3)	2.1 (35.8)	6.6 (43.9)	10.7 (51.3)	13.3 (55.9)	13.4 (56.1)	10.5 (50.9)	6.9 (44.4)	3.2 (37.8)	0.5 (32.9)	5.3 (41.5)
Record low °C (°F)	−15.7 (3.7)	−17.7 (0.1)	−16.1 (3.0)	−7.0 (19.4)	−3.0 (26.6)	−0.2 (31.6)	4.0 (39.2)	5.4 (41.7)	−0.2 (31.6)	−5.7 (21.7)	−10.1 (13.8)	−14.1 (6.6)	−17.7 (0.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	40.2 (1.58)	22.8 (0.90)	30.6 (1.20)	30.2 (1.19)	31.9 (1.26)	44.2 (1.74)	47.1 (1.85)	41.4 (1.63)	55.5 (2.19)	50.2 (1.98)	52.1 (2.05)	42.4 (1.67)	488.7 (19.24)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)	16.5	12.9	13.7	11.2	10.0	11.0	10.6	10.8	13.2	14.5	16.7	16.1	157.3
Average snowy days	5.6	5.3	4.0	0.9	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.8	3.4	21.2
Mean monthly sunshine hours	35	53	112	190	284	266	276	252	155	102	46	31	1,809
Source: Danish Meteorological Institute

Sports

Bornholm's geography as an island and moderate climate makes Bornholm an ideal location for sailing and other water-based sports.

Bornholm has also become an internationally recognised venue for 'match racing', a sailing sport where two identical (or one design) supplied racing yachts are raced in one-on-one dogfights on the water. The Danish Open event was held in Bornholm in September 2010 at the port town of Rønne on the Western coast of Bornholm. The racing yachts used for the Danish Open event are Danish-designed DS37 racing yachts. These highly manoeuvrable and versatile boats are also used in the Match Cup Sweden event.

The five-day Danish Open is a key event in the World Match Racing Tour calendar which is one of only 3 events awarded 'special event' status by the International Sailing Federation. The Tour is the world's leading professional 'match racing' series and features a nine-event calendar which crosses three continents during the series.

Points accrued during the Danish Open contribute directly to the World Match Racing Tour championship with the winner of the season finale at the Monsoon Cup in Malaysia claiming the ultimate match racing title ISAF World Match Racing Champion.

Unlike other sailing sports, match racing is suited to locations like Bornholm, because it takes place in close proximity to the shore which provides spectacular heat-of-the-action viewing for the on-shore audience.

There are two small stadiums: Nexø Stadion, in Nexø, where NB Bornholm association football club play; and the slightly larger multi-use stadium Rønne Stadion Nord in Rønne, which serves the Bornholm national football team, multi-section club most well known for athletics IK Viking, and several local football clubs. The DBU Bornholm is the local branch governing football on the island.

Religion

Various Christian denominations have become established on the island, most during the 19th century.

• Folkekirken (State church) (1536)
• Baptist church (1843)
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) (1850)
• Methodist church (1895)
• Jehovah's Witnesses (1897)
• Roman Catholic Church (ca 1150)

Cultural references

• The Academy Award-winning 1987 Bille August film Pelle the Conqueror, an adaptation of Martin Andersen Nexø's four volume novel by the same name, is set and was shot on the island.
• A considerable part of the Second World War spy thriller Hornet Flight by Ken Follett takes place on Bornholm, depicting the island under German occupation.
• The metalhead teen themed Megaheavy by the Danish filmmaker Fenar Ahmad is set on Bornholm in the 1980s. It won the Grand Prix at the 2010 Odense Film Festival.

See also

• Bornholm disease
• Dromaeosauroides bornholmensis, the first dinosaur found in Denmark

References

In-line

General

1. The Island of Bornholm, a chapter in Selected Prose by Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, 1969, Northwestern University Press.
2. The Battle of Bornholm in The hidden folk: stories of fairies, dwarves, selkies, and other secret beings, by Lise Lunge-Larsen, 2004, Houghton Mifflin.
3. The Templars' Secret Island: The Knights, the Priest, and the Treasure, 1992, by Erling Haagensen and Henry Lincoln
4. Behind the Da Vinci Code, 2006 documentary by The History Channel
5. Bornholm i krig 1940–1946 (Bornholm in War), Bornholm museum, 2001, ISBN 978-87-88179-49-1. Book of photos from World War II.
6. Bent Jensen: Soviet Remote Control: the Island of Bornholm as a Relay Station in Soviet-Danish Relations, 1945–71, in Mechanisms of Power in the Soviet Union, Macmillan Press, 2000, ISBN 978-0-312-23089-0.

Further reading

• Lucazin, M (2010), Utkast till ortografi över skånska språket med morfologi och ordlista. Första revisionen (PDF), ISBN 978-91-977265-2-8 Outlined scanian orthography including morphology and word index. First revision.
• Lucazin, M (2010), Utkast till ortografi över skånska språket med morfologi och ordlista (PDF), ISBN 978-91-977265-1-1 Outlined scanian orthography including morphology and word index.

External links

• Municipality's official website (Dansk+Deutsch+English)
• Turistguide Bornholm (Dansk+Deutsch+English)
• Bornholm in pictures
• Activities on Bornholm (Dansk+Deutsch+English)
• Krak searchable/printable municipality mapTemplate:Da icon
• Bornholm Map and Web Index
• Bornholm's Museum (Dansk+Deutsch+English+Polski)
• Municipal statistics: NetBorger Kommunefakta, delivered from KMD a.k.a. Kommunedata (Municipal Data) (Danish)
• Bornholm (Polish)
• Frit Bårrijnhålm / Free Bornhom (Bornholmian+Danish+English)