Bornholm
Bornholm (Danish: [bɒːnˈhʌlˀm]; Old Norse: Burgundaholmr) 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 (Danish: (singular) kommune; kommuner (plural)) 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.
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