About Me
Bornholm is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea. It also refers to Bornholm Regional Municipality, the municipality (Danish, kommune) which covers the entire island. Bornholm was one of the three last Danish municipalities not belonging to a County — the others being Copenhagen and Frederiksberg. On 1 January 2007, the municipality lost its county privileges and became part of Region Hovedstaden (i.e. the Copenhagen Capital Region).
The island is located to the east of Denmark, the south of Sweden, and the north of Poland. The main industries on the island include fishing, arts and crafts like glass making and pottery using locally worked clay, and dairy farming. Tourism is important during the summer.
The small islands Ertholmene are located 18 km to the north-east of Bornholm.
Strategically located in the Baltic, Bornholm has been a bone of contention usually ruled by Denmark, but also by Lübeck and Sweden. The castle ruin Hammershus on the northwestern tip of the island gives testimony to its strategic importance, as the island is home to the largest fortress in northern Europe.
The island is also notable for its dialect. The so-called bornholmsk, whilst usually considered a dialect of Danish, sports some unusual features, in particular it has retained three distinct grammatical genders, like Icelandic, and unlike standard Danish.
Municipality seat: Rønne
Area: 588 km²
Inhabitants: 43,245 (2006)
Website www.brk.dk
More info on history, etc.:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bornholm
