Bornholm is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea located to the east of (most of) the rest of Denmark, the south of Sweden, and the north of Poland. The main industries on the island include fishing, arts and crafts like glass making and pottery using locally worked clay, and dairy farming. Tourism is important during the summer. The topography of the island consists of dramatic rock formations in the north, sloping down towards "pine and deciduous forests" (greatly damaged by storms in the 1950s) and farmland in the middle and sandy beaches in the south. It also refers to Bornholm Regional Municipality, the municipality (Danish: kommune) which covers the entire island. Bornholm was one of the three last Danish municipalities not belonging to a county— the others being Copenhagen and Frederiksberg. On 1 January 2007, the municipality lost its short-lived (2003 until 2006) county privileges and became part of Region Hovedstaden (ie the Copenhagen Capital Region). The small islands Ertholmene are located 18 km (11 mi) to the northeast of Bornholm. They do not belong to either a municipality or a region but are administered by the Ministry of Defence. Strategically located in the Baltic Sea, Bornholm has been a bone of contention usually ruled by Denmark, but also by Lübeck and Sweden. The castle ruin Hammershus, on the northwestern tip of the island, is the largest medieval fortress in northern Europe, testament to the importance of its location. ( source Wikipedia )

• published: 20 Jun 2010
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• author: THEWORLDOFTRAVEL