Bornholm North and Rønne - traveling with the AIDAmar

In the morning, we had booked the excursion 'Bornholm North,' which was to take us by bus to the northern highlights of the island.

First, we headed to the medieval Hammershus Castle, the largest medieval castle ruin in Northern Europe.

The castle, among others, belonged to the Danish king, the bishop, and the Hanseatic League of Lübeck.

The time allotted for climbing and visiting was quite tight at half an hour, but we wanted to see more of the island as well.

Along the coast, we headed to the village of Gudhjeim, which has about 700 residents.

Once, it was one of the largest places on the island, but in the 17th century, the plague claimed most of its inhabitants.

As a result, it became a small fishing village, where the smoking of fish was particularly significant - something that can still be seen today in some smokehouses and many tall chimneys.

Of course, we also visited one of the famous white round churches: the Østerlars Church.

It was built around 1150 and is the oldest and largest church on the island.

A few years ago, sonar measurements revealed that there is a large cavity beneath the church. Since the church council prohibited further investigations, there are now numerous speculations about what lies below, such as the treasure of the Knights Templar. The guide suggested a nighttime excavation operation, which we had to decline because our ship was set to leave Bornholm at 6 PM.

The last stop of our tour was Svaneke, supposedly the most beautiful village in Denmark. While it was quite charming, we felt it didn't deserve this superlative.

During the walk, the guide explained a large numeric field on the street: Here, in summer, 'Chicken Poop Bingo' takes place. The square is fenced, and chickens are placed inside. The numbers where one of the birds does its business can be marked off. The prize is a bottle of the local beer.

We watched in a candy factory how sweets were made. Afterwards, we were allowed to try one of the colorful treats.

Then we headed back to Rønne, where our ship was anchored.

In the afternoon, we set out on our own through the town, strolling through the streets lined with beautiful half-timbered houses.

Rønne was largely destroyed or damaged in World War II. However, it actually survived the war relatively unscathed and was then attacked on May 9, 1945, just a few days after the German capitulation. The German commander on the island was supposed to surrender to the English. However, Russian troops arrived first, and he refused to capitulate, leading to the bombing of Bornholm.

As a result, many houses in Rønne were built after World War II. There are even entire settlements with 'Swedish houses,' prefabricated homes donated by the Swedish government shortly after the destruction, and they still stand today.

We also saw the smallest house in Rønne, which looks squeezed between two other buildings.

To conclude, we walked along the coast, from where the path led directly back to the port area.