Svaneke (''Swencke'' in 1410, from old Danish ''swan'' swan and ''*wīka'' inlet) is a small town on the eastern 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
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
. It lies mainly in Svaneke parish and partly in Ibsker parish.
It is Denmark's easternmost town. It is also the second smallest chartered town in Denmark, with a population of 1,091 as of 1 January 2024. Only
Ærøskøbing
Ærøskøbing () is a town on the island of Ærø, Denmark. The suffix -købing means a trade town in the languages that derive from Old Norse.
Ærøskøbing's houses and streets are delicately restored to retain the character of the olden days ...
is smaller.
History
Svaneke probably dates back to the 13th century when herring fishing was practiced along Bornholm's east coast. The precise date at which it was granted the market town status is unknown but it was no doubt at the beginning of the 16th century as by 1543 it had a mayor and a municipal council."Danmarks Købstæder: Svaneke" Retrieved 7 May 2010. In 1610, almost half the town was destroyed by fire. During the brief period of February 26, 1658 - May 27, 1660, Svaneke, together with the rest of Bornholm, was part of the
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire or the Great Power era () was the period in Swedish history spanning much of the 17th and early 18th centuries during which Sweden became a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic regi ...
. In 1801, the population was still only 663 but this figure doubled in the 19th century as the new harbour (1816) provided enhanced opportunities for shipbuilding."Svaneke" ''Den store Danske''. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
It was in the 18th and 19th centuries that trade and shipbuilding expanded in Svaneke, resulting in the construction of the fine merchants' houses which still line the harbour. Unlike many of the other towns in Bornholm, Svaneke escaped modernization following the opening of the island's railways at the beginning of the 20th century. Its old-world look was further protected towards the end of the century by "The Friends of Svaneke" who prevented inappropriate renovation work.
Tourism
Svaneke owes its current prosperity to tourism, thanks to the well-preserved town centre that earned it the European Architectural Heritage Gold Medal in 1975. Red-roofed, yellow lime-washed, half-timbered houses line the narrow streets, which wind down to the harbour and up to the church. The town is also a centre for arts and crafts such as
glassblowing
Glassblowing is a glassforming technique that involves inflating molten glass into a bubble (or parison) with the aid of a blowpipe (or blow tube). A person who blows glass is called a ''glassblower'', ''glassmith'', or ''gaffer''. A '' lampworke ...
and
ceramics
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porce ...
. There are also a few small sweet factories and a miniature
brewery
A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of b ...
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.
To the west of Svaneke is the Joboland amusement park, which has a waterpark, petting zoo, merry-go-rounds, and rowing boats.
Other attractions
The water tower
Designed by award-winning architect Jørn Utzon, Svaneke's
water tower
A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...
was built in 1952. It was inspired by the old sea marks used to assist ships' navigation at sea. The beacons were used along the Jutish West coast since the end of the 16th century when no other distinguishable markings existed on the coast.
The pyramidal water tank is supported by three slender
ferro-concrete
Reinforced concrete, also called ferroconcrete or ferro-concrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low ultimate tensile strength, tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having ...
legs that meet at the top of the tower. The centrally placed steps, also made of concrete, wind up elegantly from the ground. The water tower was taken out of service in 1988 when alterations to the water supply system were introduced. Since 1992, it has been a
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
.
St Ib's Church
St Ib's Church (''Sankt Ibs kirke''), 3 km south-west of Svaneke, is a fine 12th century Romanesque building. The altarpiece was painted by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg in 1846 with a picture of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane. The Renaissance pulpit (ca 1600) was decorated by Paul Høm in 1964 with ceramics of the four evangelists.
post mill
The post mill is the earliest type of European windmill. Its defining feature is that the whole body of the mill that houses the machinery is mounted on a single central vertical post. The vertical post is supported by four quarter bars. These ar ...
which stands high above the town on the road to Gudhjem, was built in 1629 making it the oldest preserved windmill in Denmark. In the 18th century, it was one of three such mills just north of the town. It takes its name from Hans Bentzen Bech who took it over in 1814. Initially, the mill stood on the edge of the cliff but was moved back when the road was built in 1866. On that occasion, the mill was positioned on a tripod support and received highly developed works. Since 1960, it has been a listed building. Restoration work was carried out in 1972-1973 and between 2002 and 2007.
Svanemøllen
Svanemøllen (Swan Mill) is a wooden smock mill located just west of Svaneke on the Danish island of Bornholm. Built in 1857, it remained in service until the 1950s. Since 1960, it has been a listed building.Østermarie, was built in 1857 and served until the 1950s. A listed building, it is the island's finest wooden
smock mill
The smock mill is a type of windmill that consists of a sloping, horizontally weatherboarded, thatched, or shingled tower, usually with six or eight sides. It is topped with a roof or cap that rotates to bring the sails into the wind. This t ...
Svaneke Church stands 18 m above the harbour on the site of a small chapel that appears to have existed for quite sometime before the town received its charter in the 16th century. It was expanded over the years, the tower and spire being completed in 1789. In 1881, virtually the whole building was rebuilt by architect Mathias Bidstrup of
Rønne
Rønne () is the largest town on the Denmark, Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. It has a population of 13,675 (1 January 2025). It was a municipality in its own right from 1970 until 2002, when Bornholm was a Bornholm County, county (D ...
, leaving only the tower and a small section of the south wall.
Svaneke Lighthouse
The lighthouse, completed in 1919, is located to the southeast of the harbour. It is square-shaped rather than round, reaching an overall height of . In 2010, the lighthouse was taken out of commission and is now privately owned."Svaneke" ''Danske fyrtårne''. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
Gallery
File:Svaneke post mill.jpg, Oldest windmill in Denmark
File:Svaneke Kirke.jpg, Svaneke Church
File:Svaneke water tower 1.jpg, Water tower designed by Jørn Utzon
File:Sankt Ibs Kirke Bornholm Denmark.jpg, St Ib's Church
File:Svaneke Brewery01.jpg, The brewery on the marketplace
File:Bagergade, Svaneke 2010a.jpg, Old street in Svaneke
File:Svaneke houses.JPG, Half-timbered houses
File:Svaneke houses1.JPG, Outside the church gate