Bølshavn is a small settlement on the northeast coast of the Danish island of Bornholm. Not far from Listed, which is also very small, between Svaneke and Gudhjem is Bølshavn, away from the tourist centres of Bornholm. If you want to forget the hustle and bustle of everyday life and spend a peaceful holiday in one of the most picturesque places on the island, you should visit Bølshavn - a small fishing village with a harbour and beautiful island style and with many holiday homes. Despite the rocky cliff coastline, Bølshavn has its own pebble beach. Bølshavn is one of those small fishing villages on the Bornholm coast, with small fishing houses that glisten in the sun, a small harbour, an inn and several holiday homes. Bølshavn impresses with its simplicity.
Remains of ancient fortifications, defensive buildings from the late Middle Ages can be found near Bølshavn. Nowhere else in Denmark can you find as many earth walls as on the coast of Bornholm. These are long earth walls that were built near the coast in the 15th and 16th centuries to defend against attacks from the sea. They also provided protection in hand-to-hand combat. These so-called turf walls had a straight front and the sides curved back. The cannons stood on stone foundations, which gave them a stable and elevated shooting position and a better field of fire.
The whole of Bornholm is a very picturesque island and in this respect, Bølshavn with its bizarre beach cliffs is no exception. If you want to explore the area around the village, you can easily do so by bike on the 250 km long network of cycle paths. But also hiking along the coast or through the extensive forests and lakes invites you to relax and recuperate. Motorists can reach many tourist destinations from Bølshavn in a very short time. For example to the Brændesgårdshaven amusement park, the NaturBornholm experience centre, where you can take a trip back in time to prehistoric times, or to the Art Museum in Gudhjem, where you can admire masterpieces by Bornholmians and Danish artists. Rønne, Bornholm's largest town, with its ferry terminal, many shops and a shopping centre, is also worth a visit.
You can also hike to neighbouring Svaneke, a famous holiday resort with an extensive sandy beach. For a longer excursion, the Bornholm Medieval Centre is ideal, where the life of our ancestors is shown in real huts and farms and in demonstrations.
Randkløve is a 12-15 metre deep rock gap formed during the Ice Age, covering an impressive rock formation on the north coast of Bornholm, near Bølshavn between Saltuna and Ypnasted. Randkløve Skår is a rift that turns at a right angle to all other rifts on Bornholm and is a geological curiosity. The forest surrounding the rocks and cliffs, with wild cherry trees and ash trees, has a very original and fairytale appearance. There used to be a hotel here, which was built with the advent of tourism on Bornholm, but it burned down in 1935. Nowadays there is an old quadrangle with accommodation for guests near the site. As the coastal road between Ypnasted and Saltuna is a little further from the Baltic Sea, it is not easy to find the Randkløve rocks.
The village of Saltuna is a collection of small farms close to the water north of Ypnasted. There is a small harbour here called "Svendsen's Harbour". The small farmers in the area used to be quite poor, so in addition to their farm work, they also engaged in fishing. There is also another small harbour nearby called "Bekkehavn". It is more a small bay than a harbour, but it was also used as a natural fishing port. There used to be a grocery shop there, but it closed in the 1940s. Today this stretch of coastline is famous for its rugged cliffs.
West of Saltuna just before Melsted you will find two high rocks on the coastal path. It is said that the name "Gate of the Kingdom of Heaven" comes from the time when these two rocks were still connected by the stone lying above them.
A special feature of this stretch of coastline is the wreck of a freighter located here, which settled on the cliff in 1980. Since then the wreck has been rusting away.
