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 originati ...
island of
Bornholm,
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 ...
. It lies mainly in Svaneke parish and partly in Ibsker parish.
It is Denmark's easternmost and until few years ago the smallest and now the second smallest (only
Ærøskøbing
Ærøskøbing () is a town in central Denmark, located in Ærø Municipality on the island of Ærø. The suffix - købing means a trade town in the languages that derive from Old Norse.
Ærøskøbing's houses and streets are delicately restore ...
is smaller)
chartered town with a population of 1,079 as of 1 January 2022.
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 status of market town is not known 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"](_blank)
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 was a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic region during the 17th and early 18th centuries ( sv, Stormaktstiden, "the Era of Great Power"). The beginning of the empire is usually ta ...
. 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"](_blank)
''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 on 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, porcelain ...
. 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 bee ...
.
[Explore Svaneke−impressive beauty](_blank)
ornholminfo.dk/ref>
There are also a number of footpaths along the rocky coast as well as cycle tracks to all parts of the island. Accommodations include two camping sites, a hotel, and holiday apartments as well as restaurants, cafés and pubs. The local smokehouse
A smokehouse (North American) or smokery (British) is a building where meat or fish is cured with smoke. The finished product might be stored in the building, sometimes for a year or more. is a popular venue.
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
Jørn Oberg Utzon, , Hon. FAIA (; 9 April 191829 November 2008) was a Danish architect. He was most notable for designing the Sydney Opera House in Australia, completed in 1973. When it was declared a World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007, Utzon ...
, Svaneke's water tower
A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towers often operate in conju ...
was built in 1952. It was inspired by the old sea mark
A sea mark, also seamark and navigation mark, is a form of aid to navigation and pilotage that identifies the approximate position of a maritime channel, hazard, or administrative area to allow boats, ships, and seaplanes to navigate safely.
T ...
s used for assisting the navigation of ships at sea. The beacons were used along the Jutish West coast since the end of the 16th century when there were no other distinguishable markings on the coast.
The pyramidal water tank is supported by three slender ferro-concrete
Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low ultimate tensile strength, tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion ...
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 or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.
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
Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg (2 January 1783 – 22 July 1853) was a Danish painter. He was born in Blåkrog in the Southern Jutland region of Denmark. He went on to lay the foundation for the period of art known as the Golden Age of Da ...
in 1846 with a picture of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane
Gethsemane () is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem where, according to the four Gospels of the New Testament, Jesus underwent the agony in the garden and was arrested before his crucifixion. It is a place of great resona ...
. The Renaissance pulpit (ca 1600) was decorated by Paul Høm in 1964 with ceramics of the four evangelists.
Windmills
Bechs Mølle
Bechs Mølle (Bech's Windmill) is a post mill located in Svaneke on the Danish island of Bornholm. Built in 1629, it is the oldest standing windmill in Denmark. In recent years, extensive restoration work has been carried out, preserving as far ...
, the timbered 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 vertical post, around which it can be turned to bring the sails into the wind. All p ...
which stands high above the town on the road to 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 ...
, 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, located just outside the town on the road to Østermarie
Østermarie is a village on the Danish island of Bornholm, west of Svaneke. Founded ca. 1880, its old church ('' Østermarie Church''), now a ruin, dates back to the 12th century. , 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 typ ...
with its onion cap and cladding of oak shingles. It is now in the hands of the local association Svanekes Venner (Svaneke's Friends) who have kept it in good repair.[Niels-Holger Larsen, "Svanemøllen Svaneke, Historie: Møllen og dens ændring gennem tiderne; og om dens fremtid"]
Svanekes Venner. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
Svaneke Church
Svaneke Church stands 18 m above the harbour on the site of a small chapel which appears to have existed for quite some time 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
Mathias Andreas Bidstrup (25 March 1852 – 25 January 1929) was a Danish architect.
Biography
He was born in Rønne, Bornholm, the son of cobbler Jorgen Bernhard Bidstrup and Marie Hansine Sonne.
Mathias Bidstrup attended the Royal Danish ...
of Rønne
Rønne ( sv, Rönne) is the largest town on the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. It has a population of 13,807 (1 January 2022). It was a municipality in its own right from 1970 until 2002, when Bornholm was a county ( Danish: ''Born ...
, 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
Jørn Oberg Utzon, , Hon. FAIA (; 9 April 191829 November 2008) was a Danish architect. He was most notable for designing the Sydney Opera House in Australia, completed in 1973. When it was declared a World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007, Utzon ...
File:Sankt Ibs Kirke Bornholm Denmark.jpg, St Ib's Church
File:Svaneke Brewery01.jpg, The brewery on the market place
File:Bagergade, Svaneke 2010a.jpg, Old street in Svaneke
File:Svaneke houses.JPG, Half-timbered houses
File:Svaneke houses1.JPG, Outside the church gate
References
External links
Svaneke Community SitePictures from SvanekePhoto gallery of Beautiful Svaneke and Bornholm
{{Authority control
Cities and towns in the Capital Region of Denmark
Bornholm