Small Island Villages

Many small towns on the Baltic Sea island of Bornholm have only a few houses. Yet this is precisely what makes Bornholm so appealing, and smaller towns often have an attraction worth seeing.

Our excursion takes us clockwise around the island, starting from Rønne. The youngest and smallest of Bornholm’s four surviving round churches stands in Nyker. Heading northeast, we come to Klemensker, home to the only surviving country inn of the kind that, 300 years ago, royal decree required to be built a day’s journey apart. Klemensker Church, dating from 1882, is Bornholm’s newest church building.

Olsker Church, in the inland village of Olsker between the coastal villages of Vang and Tejn, is one of Bornholm’s four round churches. Set amid a scenic landscape of woodland and heath, Bornholm’s most beautiful golf course lies near Rø. The village of Østerlars, south of Gudhjem, is also known for its round church.

Picturesque coastal villages surround the town of Svaneke. Bolshavn and Listed to the north, and Aarsdale to the south of Svaneke, are among Bornholm’s most unspoiled villages, with small harbours and listed houses.

Heading south from Nexø, we first reach Balka, followed by the small fishing village of Snogebæk. Its harbour is built out into the sea and can only be reached by a bridge. Snogebæk is a haven for arts and crafts and is also home to Bornholm’s largest flea market.

The tour ends with the stretch from Dueodde back to Rønne. The sandy beach continues past Østersømarken and Vestersømarken all the way to Boderne. Arnager, near the airport, also has a harbour built out into the sea, much like Snogebæk. Then, just to the north, in Nylars, we come across the fourth of Bornholm’s round churches.

Sights on Bornholm
 
Photos: Rainer Höll