Balka, also Balke, is a village and seaside resort midway between

Nexø Nexø, sometimes spelled Neksø, is a town on the east coast of the Baltic island of Bornholm, Denmark. With a population of 3,657 (as of 1 January 2025), it is the second largest town, as well as the largest fishing port on the island. Fishing ...

and Snogebæk on the southwest coast of the Danish island of

Bornholm Bornholm () is a List of islands of Denmark, Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. I ...

. As of 2022, it has a population of 200. It is best known for its wide beach with fine white sand.

Etymology

The current name "Balka" ending with an A is incorrect as the locality was originally called "Balke" as can be seen on Bernhard Frantz Hammer's map from 1746. The original name stems from the sea sweeping up banks of sandstone fragments known as "balke". "Balk" comes from the

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

"balkr" and is used in modern Danish to denote a boundary between two fields. The sandstone banks known as "Balke Udmark" have now been largely destroyed by quarrying and construction."Balke Strand"
''På 367 ture i Bornholms natur''. Retrieved 9 November 2012.

History

The community grew up around the station on the railway from Rønne to Nexø (1900–1968). Designed by Joachim Fagerlund in 1919, it was initially called Balke Station but became Balka Station in 1935. After a halt called Balka Strand came in 1935, Balka Station was renamed Kannikegård Station in 1945. It is now a private house on No. 2 Birkevej. The old railway line from Balka Strand to Nexø has now been converted into a cycle track.

The beach

Balka Beach () is Bornholm's best beach for children. The fine sand from the sandstone rocks of neighbouring

has filled Balke Bay and formed low sand-dunes. The construction of the little harbour for small boats to the north has however caused swirling currents to deposit seaweed in and around the harbour. Similarly, the large boulders deposited on the beach while building

summer house A summer house or summerhouse is a building or shelter used for relaxation in warm weather. This would often take the form of a small, roofed building on the grounds of a larger one, but could also be built in a garden or park, often designed t ...

s on the dunes has caused the sand to be washed away.

The village today

Balka, a residential village, is often considered in connection with Snogebæk just to the south. It is dominated by summer houses and hotels which bring tourists to the area. The inhabitants use Nexø's shops and services. The area around the harbour and the beach is particularly attractive.

Surroundings

Balke Lyng to the north is Northern Europe's easternmost heather-covered heath. It is also one of the few places where the

green-winged orchid ''Anacamptis morio'', the green-winged orchid or green-veined orchid (synonym ''Orchis morio''), is a flowering plant of the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It usually has purple flowers, and is found in Europe, Northern Africa and western Asia. Des ...

can be seen. The

common tern The common tern (''Sterna hirundo'') is a seabird in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, its four subspecies breeding in Temperateness, temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America. It is stron ...

also frequents the area. The long defensive entrenchment is the island's longest. Behind it, there is a graveyard from the early

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

where the graves appear to have been made of wood. A short distance inland from Balka, the Hundsemyre bird sanctuary attracts in particular the

penduline tit The penduline tits constitute the family (biology), family Remizidae, of small perching bird, passerine birds related to the true tit (bird), tits. All but the verdin make elaborate bag nests hanging from trees (whence "penduline", hanging), usua ...

and the

great cormorant The great cormorant (''Phalacrocorax carbo''), also known as just cormorant in Britain, as black shag or kawau in New Zealand, formerly also known as the great black cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the black cormorant in Australia, and ...

."Hundsemyre"
''På 367 ture i Bornholms natur''. Retrieved 9 November 2012.

References

External links

* {{coord, 55, 03, 27, N, 15, 06, 17, E, display=title Bornholm Cities and towns in the Capital Region of Denmark