Rønne
—  Town  —
Seal
Rønne Location on Bornholm
Coordinates: 55°5′55″N 14°42′05″E / 55.09861°N 14.70139°E / 55.09861; 14.70139
Country	Denmark
Region	Capital Region of Denmark
Municipality	Bornholm
Population (2011)
• Total	13,904
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)

Rønne is the largest town on the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. It has a population of 13,904 (1 January 2011).^[1] Once a municipality in its own right, it is now the administrative centre of the Bornholm municipality.

Owing to its natural harbour and its strategic position in the Baltic Sea, Rønne has an interesting history coming under German and Swedish influence during its development as a herring fishing port. Today, with its cobbled streets, half-timbered houses and interesting museums, it attracts visitors mainly from Denmark, Germany, Sweden and Poland.

History[link]

Rønne's origins probably date back to around the year 1000 when a small fishing community grew up around the natural harbour. Around 1275,^[2] a small chapel dedicated to St Nicholas was built on the site where Rønne's church now stands. The community was soon given the official status of a market town with its own mayor and council as well as its own law court. However, by the beginning of the 14th century, not only the king of Denmark but the archbishop of Lund and even various north German princes all competed for control of the town. The Germans took a special interest in Bornholm because of its strategic position in the Baltic Sea between the German coast and Visby in Gothland, now southern Sweden, at times establishing their own interests in the town. After the church's expansion in 1360, the parish of Rønne was established.

As its trade prospered, by the beginning of the 15th century Rønne was repeatedly plundered and burnt by the Lübeckers from northern Germany.^[3]

Old, low houses Rønne

In 1525, they took control of Bornholm as compensation for the fact that Denmark was unable to reimburse the large debts it had run up. They even allowed their own merchants to establish businesses in Rønne. Though the Lübeckers contributed to the success of the fishing trade, they demanded ever-higher taxes from the local population. The citizens took revenge, chasing the Lübeckers off while allowing other German communities to remain. The result was that in 1576, control of Rønne returned to the Danish crown. However, the Baltic had by this time lost much of its strategic importance. The fishing industry declined and when the town's population was twice struck by the plague in 1619 and 1655, it took decades for it to recover.^[4]

Map of Rønne in 1900

A further setback occurred in April 1658 when, in the midst of the Dano-Swedish war, Denmark ceded Bornholm to Sweden under the terms of the Treaty of Roskilde. The occupation was however short as the Swedes were overcome by the local population in December of the same year.^[5]

In 1834, Rønne City Hall was built on the Store Torv, the central square of the city. This important building was the centre of administration in Rønne and Borholm for many years, and was housed the courthouse and jail of Bornholm.^[6]

Extent of the damage caused by bombing in May 1945

Towards the end of World War II, on 7 and 8 May 1945, the town was bombed by Soviet aircraft when the German commandant of the occupying forces refused to surrender.^[2][7] Although the rest of Denmark had been liberated on 4 May, the Russians then occupied Bornholm on 9 May sending the Germans back to Germany. The Russians did not leave until 5 April 1946 when an agreement was reached with the Danish authorities and the island finally came under Danish rule once more.^[8]

Most of the houses in Rønne were damaged by the bombs and it took several years to fully rebuild the city, retaining its traditional architecture, quaint streets and half-timbered houses.^[2] The Swedes contributed 300 timber houses to the town while the rest of Denmark including Greenland and the Faroes raised the considerable sum of 8 million Danish crowns to help rebuild the town.

Economy[link]

The economic status of Rønne grew dramatically during the Middle Ages with the development of the herring industry.^[9] However, by the late 16th century, the fishing industry had begun to decline and for the next 300 years there was practically no further growth. The ceramic industry in the town surpassed that of the fishing industry and has continued into modern times, with as many of 50 ceramics shops in Rønne today.^[2] However, today, tourism is the most important source for the local economy.^[2] There are several notable sandy beaches in the area which tourists frequent.^[9]

Grandfather clocks[link]

Bornholm longcase clock

Rønne also became famous for its longcase clocks or Bornholmeure which were manufactured from the middle of the 18th century until around 1900. Interest in clock-making started when a Dutch ship sailing from England ran aground off Rønne in 1744 carrying five grandfather clocks which were damaged in the accident. In view of the clocks' value, the sailors called on Poul Ottesen Arboe, a local turner, who was able to repair them. As a result of the experience he gained in the repair work, he was able to manufacture clocks himself, giving birth to a new local industry.

Several workshops soon began to produce Bornholm clocks which became popular as they were cheaper than the more authentic models produced elsewhere. There were probably about 30 different clockmakers in the town at the beginning of the 19th century. By the 1840s, some 2,000 clocks were being completed each year. Over the years, they were produced in various styles with both wooden and metal casing. The smaller pendulum clocks which were also produced became popular too. By the end of the 19th century, production came to a halt as industrially produced clocks became far cheaper than Bornholm's handcrafted artefacts.^[10][11]

Landmarks[link]

Rønne architecture

The city is characterised by its quaint cobblestoned streets and low-timbered houses in some parts. Two streets of particular interest are the Laksegade and Storegade as they contain many historical houses which were once the homes and trade buildings of merchants and noblemen.^[12][13] Notable landmarks include the Bornholm Museum,^[14] the Defence Museum (Forsvarsmuseet), the church (Skt Nicolaj Kirke), and the Smedegårds riding school in the southern part of town, and the lighthouse, which was built in 1880.^[2]

The Bornholm Museum offers an insight into the history of Rønne and the island of Bornholm, dating from the Paleolithic era to the modern age, including the history of occupied Bornholm during World War II. The museum houses a number of Nordic Bronze Age and Iron Age artefacts relating to the island and uses a Mjolnir, discovered in Bornholm, but now housed in the National Museum of Denmark, as its logo.^{[citation needed]} It also has a notable collection of Roman coins, pottery and paintings.^[12]

Skt. Nicolaj Kirke

The Skt. Nicolaj Church with its distinctive tower is part of the Diocese of Copenhagen and in its present form was enlarged and fully refurbished in 1918. It stands on the site of an earlier church or chapel from the 13th century of which some sections can still be seen.^[15] Forsvarsmuseet, or Rønne Defence Museum, is housed in a round tower with walls 3.5 m thick known as Kastellet or the citadel. Built in 1744 to contribute to the town's defences, there was never any occasion for it to be used. The museum has numerous artefacts related to military history such as guns, blades, bombs and uniforms.^[12] Store Torv, the central square, was formerly used for military parades. Several notable buildings lie in the heart of the town, including the Rønne Public Library, the Nordeabank and old merchant/noble warehouses and residence buildings.^[12] Buildings of note include Erichsens Gård, built in 1806 and now a museum, the neo-classical Kommandantgården, built in 1846 and now a ceramics museum, and the Amtmandsgården, located at Storegade 36.^[13] The Toldboden is a merchant warehouse, built in 1624, and is one of Rønne's oldest half-timbered buildings.^[13] The Torhus building, at the side of the square, was built in 1834 and was the former town hall, courthouse and jail.^[6] Rønne Theatre built in 1823 is Denmark's oldest provincial theatre still in active use.^[13] Hovedvagten at Søndergade 12 was built as a guard house in 1744 with bricks from Hammershus which was being demolished at the time. It is the oldest brick house in the town.^[16]

Rønne harbour

Transportation[link]

Rønne Railway Station model in the Bornholm Museum

Rønne is connected to the rest of Denmark and to the outside world by ferry lines. BornholmerFærgen operates the lines to Køge, Ystad and Sassnitz, while Polferries operates the line to Świnoujście.^[17]

The boat to Ystad is a high-speed catamaran, and there is a matching direct-train connection from Ystad to Copenhagen.

Outside Rønne, Bornholm Airport offers flights to Copenhagen and to some summer destinations.

Coordinates: 55°5′55″N 14°42′05″E / 55.09861°N 14.70139°E / 55.09861; 14.70139

Sister cities[link]

• Kuressaare
• Mänttä
• Høyanger
• Darlowo
• Wladyslawowo
• Karlshamn
• Ronneby
• Simrishamn
• Sölvesborg
• Neustadt
• Wolgast
• San Marino

Rønne Havn with HSC Villum Clausen

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Bender, A; O'Brien. S. (2005). Lonely Planet Denmark. Lonely Planet. pp. 168–71. ISBN 1-74059-489-4. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=1AJqoYpKoQcC&pg=PA168&dq=R%C3%B8nne+bombing&hl=en&ei=dSYATPO-FYGj_gbq2JjLAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false. 

External links[link]

• (Danish) Official website

Media related to Rønne at Wikimedia Commons

This article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Please add citations from reliable sources. (February 2010)

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (February 2010)

Daniel Amalm
Born	(1979-02-16) 16 February 1979 (age 33) Brisbane, Australia
Occupation	Actor, Musician
Years active	1994–present

Daniel Amalm (born 16 February 1979) is an Australian actor and musician.

Early life[link]

Daniel's mother is Maltese and his father is Swedish. Daniel's Father introduced Daniel to Guitar from an early age. Daniel's first performances were as a busker in Brisbane Queensland's Queen Street Mall with his Brother where they were spotted by George Benson's tour Manager and invited to George Benson's sound check. The Åmalm Brothers jammed with George Benson and after the jam George donated his own money towards a new guitar that the brothers had been saving for. With that guitar Daniel won a scholarship to study guitar at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and was trained in classical guitar under Julian Byzantine. Daniel performed as one of the Guitarists in An Angel Moves Too Fast To See written by Rhys Chatham for 100 electric guitars in Brisbane, Australia The Brisbane Biennial, City Hall Auditorium, 4,5 June 1993. Daniel received runner up in the 9th Australian Classical Spanish Guitar Competition.^[1]

Career[link]

Daniel's first television appearance was in the role of Jack Wilson in television soap opera Home and Away and he was nominated for a 'Most Popular New Talent Logie Award' in 1995.

In 1996, Amalm left Home and Away and recorded a single 'Classical Gas' which was a top 30 hit on the ARIA Charts and No.5 on the Dance Charts followed by 'Honey Dip Girl' which was voted No.1 on Network Ten's Video Hits for 5 consecutive weeks. In 2000, he returned to Home and Away for a guest appearance and also appeared in All Saints and Tripping Over.

Daniel has worked as a music teacher in Classical, Flamenco and Rock Guitar. He Has performed the live circuit with various Latin/Rock covers & originals bands and wrote with Alternative/Metal band OP25. Daniel's Brother Jacob plays drums in OP25. The band contributed to the original motion picture soundtrack of 'Two Fists One Heart' with a song called 'Like No Other'.^[1]

Daniel appeared in the Nine Network drama series Underbelly in 2008 as Melbourne underworld figure, Dino Dibra. He also starred in the Australian film Two Fists, One Heart ^[2] which was released 19 March 2009 and "Cedar Boys" released July 2009. In 2009, Amalm began a regular role in drama series Rescue: Special Ops as Jordan Zwitkowski on the Nine Network and co-hosted FOX8’s adaptation of the boxing reality series The Contender (TV series).

Television[link]

• Rescue: Special Ops
• Underbelly
• Tripping Over
• All Saints
• Whipping Boy
• Home and Away
• The Contender (TV series)

Film[link]

• Two Fists, One Heart
• Cedar Boys

References[link]

External links[link]

• Daniel Amalm at the Internet Movie Database