Rytterknægten is the highest point on the Danish island 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 ...

at above sea level. The bierg is situated on a wooded

bedrock In geology, bedrock is solid rock that lies under loose material ( regolith) within the crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet. Definition Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface material. An exposed portion of be ...

of gaiter formations in the middle of

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 ...

forest.

Aakirkeby Aakirkeby or Åkirkeby is a town in Denmark with a population of 2,119 (1 January 2022). It is the third largest town on the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. It was the main town of the now abolished Aakirkeby Municipality. The town is si ...

is located about to the southeast.

Etymology

Rytterknægten can be translated literally as knight's squire. In times gone by, every knight had a

squire In the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight. Use of the term evolved over time. Initially, a squire served as a knight's apprentice. Later, a village leader or a lord of the manor might come to be known as ...

who among other things helped him to mount his horse. Those who did not have squires found it convenient to mount from a flat stone such as the one close to the car park. It is thought the stone might be behind the name of the location."Rytterknægten"
, ''Naturstyrelsen''. Retrieved 22 October 2012.

Geography

Bornholm has both varied natural features, such as

, Hammeren, Jons Kapel, Paradisbakkerne, and Dueodde. Rytterknægten in the Almindingen forest is not far from

Ekkodalen Ekkodalen (Echo Valley) on Bornholm is Denmark's longest rift. It stretches 12 km from Vallensgård Mose through Almindingen, Flæskedal, Kløvedal and Kelseådal to Saltuna on Bornholm's northeast coast. History Echo Valley was origina ...

("echo valley") to the east and the

Gamleborg Gamleborg, also known as Gamleborg Viking Fortress, was the first fortification on the Danish island of Bornholm. Built around 750 AD, it was the seat of the kings of Bornholm during the Viking age (750–1050) and early Middle Ages (1050–11 ...

castle (Viking fortress) to the southwest. The memorial tower is on the western side of the elevated area. The entire surroundings are covered with dense forest, which has been growing and creating obstructions to the views from the tower.

Kongemindet

The royal memorial tower, Kongemindet, is located on Rytterknægten. Designed by

Gottlieb Bindesbøll Michael Gottlieb Birckner Bindesbøll (5 September 1800 – 14 July 1856) was a Denmark, Danish architect active during the Danish Golden Age in the first half of the 19th century. Most known for his design of Thorvaldsens Museum in Copenhagen, he ...

, it commemorates the 1851 visit of

Frederick VII of Denmark Frederick VII (Frederik Carl Christian; 6 October 1808 – 15 November 1863) was King of Denmark from 1848 to 1863. He was the last Danish monarch of the older Royal branch of the House of Oldenburg and the last king of Denmark to rule as ...

and Countess Danner. The structure was built by appreciative Bornholmers in 1856, financed entirely with Bornholmer resident donations as reverence to the King and the Danish royal house.Rytterknægten - toppen af Bornholm"
''Highways.dk''. . Retrieved 22 October 2012 It bears an inscription expressing the Bornholmers' thanks for the visit, stating that it would be called Kongemindet ("royal memorial"). Translated into English, the memorial text on the plaque reads:

"In remembrance of his Majesty King Frederik VII's highest presence on this island from 8 till 16 August 1851 with his wife, the Bornholmers out of subjectorial reverence erected this building in the year 1855 and gave it the name Kongemindet."

The tower's granite masonry is decorated with lion heads, and originally had one staircase. As the forest grew higher, obscuring the view, the tower was extended in 1899 by steel scaffolding a further , reaching a height at the top of above sea level, which marks the highest point in Denmark, same as the Bavnehøj in Jutland. The design of the steel structure above the masonry structure is unusual in that it has two staircases - one to go up and the other to come down - which has limited the availability of space at the top of the tower. During the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the Germans added a radio transmitter, reaching a further in height but this was later removed. The tower has also been used for radar equipment, especially to monitor Russian movements during the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

. The tower is used in the spring for ornithological observations. The tower, with views over the entire island, is open to visitors free of charge during daylight hours throughout the year.

References

External links

Photographs of Rytterknægten from Bornholmerguiden
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rytterknaegten Bornholm Hills of Denmark

Etymology

Geography

Kongemindet

See also

References

External links