Gudhjem is a small town and fishing port on the northern coast of the

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages *Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originatin ...

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 ...

, Denmark. Its population is 736 (1 January 2024). Gudhjem is a popular venue for tourists who are attracted by its steep, picturesque streets, views and atmosphere.Gudhjem town portal
(in Danish)

History

Its history as a fishing village goes back many years. The former church, St Anne's Chapel, now a ruin, dates from around 1300. Its harbour was first built in the middle of the 19th century but was destroyed by a storm in 1872 and rebuilt in 1889. A second harbour was constructed between 1897 and 1906 to provide a safe haven for whaling and fishing boats. It was in Gudhjem that smoked

herring Herring are various species of forage fish, belonging to the Order (biology), order Clupeiformes. Herring often move in large Shoaling and schooling, schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate wate ...

s were first prepared, in the town's typical

smokehouse A smokehouse (North American) or smokery (British) is a building where meat or fish is curing (food preservation), cured with Smoking (cooking), smoke. The finished product might be stored in the building, sometimes for a year or more.Christiansø Ertholmene (formerly spelled ''Ærtholmene)'' is a small archipelago in Denmark. The largest island is Christiansø, whose name is often used with reference to the entire archipelago. Ertholmene are situated northeast of Gudhjem, Bornho ...

ferry has been functioning since 1684. Gudhjem is since 1893 said to be the base of the time zone in Denmark. The Gudhjem meridian (located just east of the town) is one hour east of the

Greenwich meridian The Greenwich meridian is a prime meridian, a geographical reference line that passes through the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, in London, England. From 1884 to 1974, the Greenwich meridian was the international standard prime meridian, ...

Landmarks

Gudhjem Mølle Gudhjem Windmill () is located in the village of Gudhjem on the Danish island of Bornholm. With a sail span of , the Dutch mill is the largest windmill in Denmark. It served from 1893 to 1962 when it was taken out of commission.< ...

, Denmark's largest windmill, which stands at the top of the hill down into the town, was constructed in 1893. Taken out of service in 1962, it now houses a shop and a café."Gudhjem Mølle"
''Den Store Danske''. Retrieved 4 November 2012. Gudhjem is home to the

Oluf Høst Museum The Oluf Høst Museum is located on Løkkegade Street in Gudhjem on the Danish island of Bornholm. It is dedicated to Oluf Høst (1884–1966), one of the island's most famous artists, and includes an exhibition of some of his paintings. It was es ...

where Bornholm's celebrated painter,

Oluf Høst Oluf Høst (18 March 1884 – 14 May 1966) was a Danish Expressionist painter, the only member of the Bornholm school who was a native Bornholmer. Although he studied in Copenhagen, he returned to the Danish island of Bornholm in 1929 where ...

, spent the latter part of his life.

Gallery

File:Gudhjem 140814-2.jpg, Gudhjem File:Gudhjem from east.jpg, Gudhjem from east File:Gudhjem from west 1.jpg, Gudhjem from west

References

External links

{{Authority control Cities and towns in the Capital Region of Denmark Bornholm