Østerlars kirke

The timing to go to Bornholm was perfect – the weather was excellent, and so was the view from the hotel room:

I didn’t have to drive, fly or do any sports, so I could appreciate a sip of champagne for breakfast:

Flemming and I had big plans for the day: lots of sightseeing, and to have dinner together with Siv and Lars, my friends from the Landskrona flying club in Sweden, who own a summer house on the island.

We began from driving north towards the Hammer Promontory (or simply Hammeren) which is one of the most spectacular trails in Denmark, and stopped by the secluded lagoons to appreciate the beauty of our country:

Hammer Odde Lighthouse on the northernmost point of Hammeren:

The lighthouse was built in 1895 as a supporting lighthouse to a bigger and main one located further from the sea. In this area, one can frequently experience low clouds and fog, and the light from the main lighthouse could often not be seen down on the water. Hammer Odde Lighthouse is not open for public, as it is still in regular use.

In the old days, a number of cannon batteries were built on almost all coastal projections around the island. One of them can be seen by the foot of the Hammer Odde Lighthouse.

In the 80’s, some tourists laid a couple of stone circles not far from the lighthouse. Other tourists added more stones, and nowadays it is a large spiral, a modern land art:

As it was Friday, the Praying Day holiday, there were a number of prayers placed (probably by a local church or community) along the path:

The ruins of Solomon’s Chapel, a church from the 14th century:

The Chapel is thought to have been built by the Archbishop of Lund. It was named after St. Solomon, a Dominican monk. The church was constructed in connection with Bornholm’s herring trade with Hamburg and Lübeck during 13th – 14th centuries, when local fishermen did enormous catches of herring around Hammeren. In the 15th century the herring was gone, and the church gradually felt into decay.

Scandinavia’s largest medieval fortification can be found on the Bornholm’s northern tip, Hammeren. Erected 74 metres above sea level, it is an impressive fortress build at a good defence location. The fortification is called Hammershus, and its oldest part was probably built in the 12th century.

It was very interesting to walk around, and to learn about the history of this place. The views from the top were breathtaking:

The stone on the photo below had an interesting carved symbol: Saint Laurence’s gridiron. Laurence was one of the deacons of Rome in the 3rd century. The Roman Emperor Valerian demanded that Laurence handed over the church’s wealth. But Laurence gave the treasures to poor, who he called “the true riches of the church”. Laurence then suffered the martyr’s death: he was roasted on a glowing gridiron over a charcoal fire.

Saint Laurence was one of the most popular saints of the Middle Ages, and this stone was set at the church entrance in Hammershus.

It was about time to have a lunch break, and we wanted to have something from one of the Bornholm’s smokehouses. Our hotel recommended The Nexø Old Smokehouse as the best one on the island:

The first smokehouse on Bornholm was established in 1866, in Gudhjem. All over the island one can see their traditional chimneys. In Nexø, the freshly smoked products are taken out from the oven at 11 a.m. daily, and visitors are welcome to watch this old tradition.

We bought some delicious smoked herring, which Bornholm is so famous for, together with other delicacies from the shop. Due to the COVID-19 situation, it wasn’t possible to sit outside, but we found a good table with the sea view by a rowing club nearby:

After Nexø, we drove around, and visited other places. A typical small fishing harbour of Bornholm:

An old house, made of rocks… Inside, there was a workshop producing bowls and other souvenirs of the island’s wood:

Round churches of Bornholm… This type of construction was very popular in Scandinavia in 11th – 12th centuries. There are approx. 44 round churches in the world.

The Østerlars round church is the largest on Bornholm and is one of the main sights on the island. It has about 120,000 visitors a year, and is dedicated to Saint Laurence. Remember the stone at Hammershus I mentioned earlier? The Østerlars church’s seal also has a symbol of a gridiron in honour of the saint.

The church has two runestones; the one outside is from approx. 1070:

We met up for dinner at Siv and Lars’ summer house. Kenneth with his son Vitus landed in Rønne about the same time as Siv and Lars, and were warmly invited to join us. It was wonderful to meet them all:

Siv prepared such a delicious dinner, I don’t know how she managed to do it so quickly! There were fish and chicken, lots of veggies, potatoes and rice, you name it. For desert – freshly baked rhubarb pie with a choice of sorbet, whipped cream, and other good stuff.

Everything was so mouth-watering, a real feast. After dinner we all went for a walk, to burn some calories, to the Helligdomsklipperne (English: Sanctuary Rocks) nearby: