Hammeren (also Hammerknuden; meaning, "hammerhead-shaped crag of granite") is a protected area and

promontory A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the ...

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 ...

on the northernmost point of

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 ...

island. It projects into Sæne Bugt bay in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

. The area includes Hammersø, the largest lake on the island and the only tarn in Denmark, and a hill, in height, named Stejlebjerg (or Stieleberg). It is steep to the southwest but slopes gradually to the northeast, and is separated from the rest of the land by a valley.

Geography

Bornholm has varied natural features, such as

Almindingen Almindingen ("the common") is one of the largest forests in Denmark. It is located in the centre of the island of Bornholm. The forest covers , making it Denmark's third largest. Though it was at one time common grazing land for cattle, it was ...

, Jons Kapel,

Paradisbakkerne Paradisbakkerne ("hills of paradise"), also Helvedesbakkerne ("hills of hell"), is a group of hills in Denmark, located in the east of the island of Bornholm. It is situated approximately northwest of Nexø. The privately owned area consists of ...

Rytterknægten Rytterknægten is the highest point on the Danish island of Bornholm at above sea level. The bierg is situated on a wooded bedrock of gaiter formations in the middle of Almindingen forest. Aakirkeby is located about to the southeast. Etymology ...

, and Dueodde. Hammeren has cliffs towering from the Baltic Sea and a rift valley separating it from the surroundings. It covers a rocky area of granite formations (considered one of the best examples of the kind) extending over and including a number of

caves A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

. The area, which was once covered with heather and bracken, was laid bare by heavy grazing. Hammeren features a large lake, Hammersø, the largest on the island, and a deep pond, Opalsø, surrounded by the rocky slopes of a former

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies un ...

quarry. Separated by a rift valley, the area is composed of about 50% rocks, 25% forest and 25% cultivated land. All of Hammeren is now a protected nature reserve. There are a number of walking trails connecting Sandvig and Hammershus Slo. The path along the northern rocky face leads to Hammeren Fyr, a lighthouse located at the northern tip, before proceeding along the coastal path towards the south east to the harbour, Hammeren Havn.

Landmarks

The thirteenth-century castle of Hammershus,

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54°N, or may be based on other geographical factors ...

's largest

medieval 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 a ...

fortification 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 ...

, is located just to the south. There are several quarries in the vicinity. Trails lead from nearby Hammerhus to a nature area named Slotslyngen. In addition to Dueodde Lighthouse, Denmark's tallest, there are several others on the island, such as Hammeren Lighthouse, inactive since 1990. On a clear day, views extend to the Swedish coast.

Close to the coast, to the south of the Hammeren Lighthouse, the ruins of Salomons Kapel (Solomon's Chapel) can be seen. Thought to have been built by the

Archbishop of Lund List of (arch)bishops of Lund. Until the Danish Reformation the centre of a great Latin (arch)bishopric, Lund has been in Sweden since the Treaty of Roskilde in 1658. The Diocese of Lund is now one of thirteen in the Church of Sweden. Catho ...

in the beginning of the fourteenth century, it was named after St Solomon, a

Dominican friar The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...

. It was built of brick and hewn boulders in two stages: first the small rectangular church and later the porch area to the south. Remains of the altar and of brick benches along the walls can be seen. The chapel was constructed in connection with Bornholm's herring trade with the

Hanseatic cities The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label= Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German tow ...

of Hamburg and Lübeck from the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries."Salomons kapel på Bornholm"
''Bornholmer Guiden''. . Retrieved 24 October 2012.

References

{{Bornholm Denmark Bornholm Protected areas of Denmark