municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
on the west 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 originatin ...
island of
Bornholm
Bornholm () is a List of islands of Denmark, 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. I ...
,
Denmark
Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
. Its population is 1,637 () The former municipality covered an area of , and had a total population of 6,382. It is now included in the municipality of
Bornholm
Bornholm () is a List of islands of Denmark, 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. I ...
. With its pleasant setting,
smokehouse
A smokehouse (North American) or smokery (British) is a building where meat or fish is curing (food preservation), cured with Smoking (cooking), smoke. The finished product might be stored in the building, sometimes for a year or more.Ebbe Gert Rasmussen, "Byens historie" Hasle. Retrieved 13 November 2012. By 1658, when the population reached 300, Hasle began to be noticed. The town is remembered for the role it played in the 17th century when under the leadership of Jens Pedersen Kofoed, a merchant, and Povl Hansen Ancher, the local priest, its citizens helped to free Bornholm from Swedish rule.
During the 17th and 18th centuries various attempts were made to exploit the natural resources in the area, especially coal from around Sorthat and
Muleby
Sorthat-Muleby is a village in the southwest of the Danish island of Bornholm, north of Rønne and south of Hasle. Muleby to the north and Sorthat to the south now form a single urban area. As of 2024, it has a population of 503.
. There was, however, little market for coal on Bornholm except during emergencies such as the English Wars (1807–1814). From the end of the 19th century, coal quarrying therefore gave way to tile production from the local clay, resulting in a market for Hasle tiles in Denmark and beyond. The industrial area south of the town testifies to its coal, glass and tile factories, all of which have now closed, while tiles abound in Hasle itself, even gracing its pavements.
The town's more recent prosperity is the result of the harbour, built in the late 19th century. As there was no natural harbour like those along Bornholm's north coast, the harbour had to be built from scratch. But it was above all the harbour which drove the local economy, as can be seen from the town's many smokehouses. Hasle also became a port of call on the steamship route to Copenhagen operated by the Østbornholmske Dampskipsselskab.
Hasle today
The town has maintained its character with its half-timbered houses and its more recent funkis additions. Its nine old farmhouses enhance the local heritage. Tourists are attracted by the whitewashed
smokehouse
A smokehouse (North American) or smokery (British) is a building where meat or fish is curing (food preservation), cured with Smoking (cooking), smoke. The finished product might be stored in the building, sometimes for a year or more.summer house
A summer house or summerhouse is a building or shelter used for relaxation in warm weather. This would often take the form of a small, roofed building on the grounds of a larger one, but could also be built in a garden or park, often designed t ...
s and camping facilities in the area.
Churches
Ruth's Church to the east of Hasle stands on a hilltop 130 m above sea level. The belltower is said to be the oldest on the island."Ruts kirke" , ''Nordens kirker''. Retrieved 28 June 2012.Hasle Church itself, built in the 15th century in a Late Gothic style, has a carved, early 16th century
triptych
A triptych ( ) is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided into three sections, or three carved panels that are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all m ...
File:Bornholm - Hasle - Rådhusgade med Hasle Kirke bagved.jpg, Street to the church
File:Hasle Kirke asv2024-07 img1.jpg, Hasle Church
File:Bornholm-hasle-beach.jpg, Hasle beach
File:Hasle Smokehouse asv2024-07 img2.jpg, Smokehouse