Visual Bornholm
Published by Visual Media ApS
Designed by Miru Studio
TEXT: MADS WESTERMANN PHOTO: ANDERS BEIER
Bornholm can be experienced in many ways. Here are five that draw you towards lesser-known places and moments, and that require a bit of curiosity and the will to search further. From a morning swim in raw industrial history to bat hunting in the twilight.
Until 1996, granite was quarried at Vang Granitbrud for construction projects throughout Denmark. Christiansborg, Copenhagen City Hall, the Great Belt Bridge – the stones came from here. Today, the rock walls remain. The machines are gone, the rocks are used for climbing, and in the old machine halls there are overnight shelters for hikers and cyclists.
Below the quarry, out on the coast, lies Vang Pier, and at the end of it is Lagunen, a small sandy beach shielded by rocks on three sides. From here, you can take the leap from the seesaw on the pier itself, directly into the old harbor basin, from where the granite blocks were once shipped. The water is deep and clear, and the walls are steep. And if you come in the morning, before the wind picks up, the pool is often mirror-like.
Further south, deep in the forest behind Hasle, lies Rubinsøen. An old lignite mine with steep clay slopes, sunken trees and water lilies. Beneath the surface, large pike walk between the reed forest. The slopes are steep, the bottom is soft, and it is a long way to the nearest parking lot. A unique place to snorkel with an almost otherworldly atmosphere when the sun’s rays play in the clear water.
Nowhere in Denmark are the standing stones as close together as on Bornholm.
Near Bodilsker, in a small piece of forest, lies Gryet. It is a burial ground with 67 standing stones, which were erected in the Bronze and Iron Ages. Not in straight rows, but scattered and seemingly at random, like a realm of the dead that has grown gradually as generation after generation has laid its dead to rest. When the sunlight falls through the foliage and hits the large vertical stones, it is almost as if they begin to dance.
However, one stone is missing. The largest that has ever stood in Gryet. It was removed in 1866 and carved into a more modern tombstone. Today it stands in Nexø Cemetery by the Tomb of the Unknown, provided with Christian crosses. A stone with two stories, separated by ten kilometers and two thousand years. Finding it requires a short detour, but the stone’s function is the same. To honor and remember deceased ancestors.
Bornholm and smoke go hand in hand. Sol over Gudhjem – smoked herring with raw egg yolk – is a Bornholm classic, just as the smokehouses along the coast are a permanent part of the island’s inventory. They emit the sweet, spicy scent of alder smoke to tickle the nostrils of passersby. But the smoke is used for more than just herring.
At Nexø Gamle Røgeri you can find an overlooked delicacy: smoked potatoes. The humble tuber has absorbed the smoke. The skin has become chewy and aromatic, and the insides are velvety and creamy. Combined with smoked cheese, smoked salt and freshly cut chives, they form an unparalleled gastronomic sensory bombardment. Take the smoked delicacies out with you. Find a bench with a sea view. It’s simple. It’s smoked. It’s boneless.
South of Hasle lies Kultippen, a barren landscape formed by surplus soil from former coal and clay mining.
The clay is exposed, and the soil is so acidic that nothing can grow here. As a result, rain and wind can change the landscape almost from day to day. The light also behaves differently here than in other places on the island.
The uniform-colored clay makes the land and sea almost merge into one.
Hidden in the barren clay sand lie lumps of pyrite, also called fool’s gold. Heavy, shimmering stones with a metallic sheen that at first glance may well resemble nuggets of gold. They require a bit of digging and a keen eye to find them, but they are there.
When the setting sun turns the sky red above the unique landscape, it is more reminiscent of Mars than the remains of a Bornholm industrial adventure.
Holding a lump of fool’s gold in your hand while the light disappears is nothing short of magical.
When darkness falls, another part of the island begins to stir. Bornholm has a large population of bats, and one of the best places to see them is at Borgedalssøen in Rø Plantage.
At the nearby Bat House, you can follow a colony of long-eared bats that live in the attic via infrared cameras. The animals hang close together, and on the screens you can see them twitching in their sleep. But the real experience lies outside, at dusk down by the lake.
Here, the water bat hunts low above the surface, snatching insects caught in the water’s surface tension. It uses echo sounder to distinguish prey from waves and often flies only a few centimeters above the water. The movements are fast and irregular, and the hunters disappear as quickly as they appear. Occasionally, a faint splash from an insect catch can be heard on the water’s surface. Then silence again.
It takes patience and concentration to observe, but it is worth the effort.
