Ertholmene (formerly spelled ''Ærtholmene)'' is a small archipelago in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. The largest island is Christiansø, and its name often refers to the entire archipelago. Ertholmene is situated northeast of

Gudhjem Gudhjem is a small town and fishing port on the northern coast of the Baltic island of Bornholm, Denmark. Its population is 736 (1 January 2022). Gudhjem is a popular venue for tourists who are attracted by its steep, picturesque streets, views ...

Bornholm Bornholm () is a 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. It has usually been ruled by ...

, and contains Denmark's easternmost point. Two of its islands, Christiansø and Frederiksø, are inhabited, and their combined permanent population () is 89. The archipelago has a total area of 39

hectares The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100- metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is ...

. Its name is derived from the Danish for "pea islands". Together with Bornholm it is part of Landsdel Bornholm. Ertholmene makes up the Parish of Christiansø in the

Church of Denmark The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark or National Church, sometimes called the Church of Denmark ( da, Folkekirken, literally: "The People's Church" or unofficially da, Den danske folkekirke, literally: "The Danish People's Church"; kl, ...

and is served by

Christiansø Church Christiansø Church is a church on the Danish island of Christiansø, some to the north-east of Bornholm. It was initially the church for the garrison stationed in the island's fortifications. History The church was first consecrated in 1685 whe ...

. On 1 January 2017 out of 78 inhabitants in total there were 69 members of the Church of Denmark (88.46% of the population). Ertholmene has never been part of a municipality, county, or region. The islands are administered by the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

Islands

Ertholmene consists of three main islands, Christiansø, Frederiksø and Græsholm, plus a number of rocks and skerries. * Christiansø, named after

King Christian V Christian V (15 April 1646 25 August 1699) was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699. Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the decree ...

, has an area of ; it is the largest island in the archipelago. It is home to

and

Christiansø Lighthouse Christiansø Lighthouse ( da, Christiansø Fyr) is located on the top of the Store Tårn tower on the Danish island of Christiansø, some northeast of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. Constructed and brought into service in 1805, it is one of Denmark' ...

. The highest point of Ertholmene is Møllebakken on Christiansø, above sea level. * Frederiksø, named after King Frederick IV, has an area of . It is the only other inhabited island besides Christiansø. It is located just west of Christiansø, and connected to it via a

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pi ...

for pedestrians. The sound between Christiansø and Frederiksø is a well-sheltered natural harbour. Frederiksø is home to Christiansø Museum, which is situated inside Lille Tårn ("Little Tower"). * Græsholm has an area of . It is uninhabited and serves as a bird reserve. * Østerskær is a skerry located east of Christiansø. It is the easternmost point of Denmark, at 15° 11' 55" E longitude. * Tat is a skerry located northwest of Christiansø and Frederiksø. It is long and wide, and surrounded by a number of smaller skerries. It contains a lighthouse, and serves as a bird reserve.

History

Fishermen from Bornholm have used Ertholmene for temporary shelter since the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. The first permanent settlement was the result of the Danish-Swedish conflicts in the late 17th century. As Denmark needed a naval base in the central Baltic Sea, a

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

was built on Christiansø and Frederiksø in 1684 which served as an outpost for the

Danish Navy The Royal Danish Navy ( da, Søværnet) is the sea-based branch of the Danish Defence force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Danish territorial waters (incl. Faroe Islands and Greenland). Oth ...

until 1855.

originally served the garrison.Otto Norn, C. G. Schultz, Erik Skov, "Christiansø Kirke"
Bornholms Nørre Herred, Danmarks Kirker, Bornholm, Nationalmuseet, Gad, 1954, pp. 576–583. Retrieved 2 October 2012 The population peaked at the census in 1810 which showed 829 inhabitants. They were soldiers and were there because of the

Gunboat War The Gunboat War (, ; 1807–1814) was a naval conflict between Denmark–Norway and the British during the Napoleonic Wars. The war's name is derived from the Danish tactic of employing small gunboats against the materially superior Royal ...

. Many of the historical buildings now serve as living quarters for the local population, and some are rented, year after year, to regular summer residents. The islands' external appearance has changed very little in over 300 years. Girdled by thick granite walls with old cannons pointed seaward, Christiansø is a picturesque tourist spot seemingly frozen in time. A former part of the fort, ''Store Tårn'' has housed the

for the past 200 years, and a small round tower on Frederiksø, ''Lille Tårn,'' serves as a museum.

Notable people

Ernst Wilhelm Stibolt Ernst Wilhelm Stibolt (born 14 February 1741 29 February 1796) was a Danish naval officer and ship builder, who served in the French navy for four years.Topsøe-Jensen Vol 2 pp 554 – 557 and became a member of the Royal Danish Academy of Scienc ...

(born 1741 in Christiansø – 1796) a Danish naval officer and ship builder; his father, (naval) Commander Caspar Henrik

Stibolt The family name Stibolt (alternative spelling Stiboldt) was closely associated with the Danish-Norwegian navy of the 18th century and with the island of Christiansø from the time that Hans Anderson Stibolt was appointed commandant of those most ea ...

, was Commandant of Christiansø for many years.

Administrative status

The islands form an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either hav ...

that does not belong to either a municipality or a region. Instead they are state property governed by an administrator, appointed by the Danish Ministry of Defence, with the responsibility being the tasks normally performed by municipalities and other public sector civil services. The major sources of income are

fishery Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, ...

and

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

. There are 80,000 tourists per year, mostly day visitors arriving via Bornholm. Ertholmene is also a popular destination for yachts.

Taxation

The islanders, who do not pay municipal taxes of any kind and were never part of a municipality, were exempt from the central government "Health Contribution" tax (''Sundhedsbidrag'') which stood at 8% when it was introduced on 1 January 2007 with ''Kommunalreformen'' ("The Municipal Reform" of 2007), because it was thought that the relatively isolated islets would otherwise be abandoned. This tax replaced the

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

tax, which the islanders were also exempt from paying, not being part of a county. From 1 January 2019 this tax has been abolished, while income taxes in the lowest bracket have been raised simultaneously instead with this tax being phased out. From 2012, the tax was lowered by one percentage point per year.Bornholm.nu » Christiansø » Bornholm kan få Christiansø
/ref>

Gallery

File:Bornholm municipality Christiansø sogn.svg, Ertholmene is in the upper right corner, northeast of Bornholm. Image:Karte_Christiansø.jpg, Buildings and water on Christiansø and Frederiksø File:Ertholmene 1756.JPG, Ertholmene, 1756 Image:Bornholms-Amt.png, Bornholm and Christiansø hundreds and 5 municipalities (1970-2002) in green color and 21 municipalities until 31 March 1970

Notes

External links

* {{Use dmy dates, date=March 2017 Forts in Denmark Danish islands in the Baltic Islands of Denmark Archipelagoes of the Baltic Sea Ramsar sites in Denmark Car-free zones in Europe Bornholm