Boderne

Best Beach Holiday in Boderne

Boderne is a small, cozy fishing village on the south coast of Bornholm. As early as the beginning of the 1600s, the farmers in the area began to supplement their income from fields and livestock with fishing. The fishermen's gear was stored in small red sheds - called "Boder" - along the beach, and thus Boderne got its name.

The red stalls are still here, but today Boderne is more known for its beautiful beach, as well as Bornholm's largest and most exclusive clothing store "Stærmose", where you will find delicious brand clothes such as Max Mara, By Malene Birger, Armani, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Boss and Sand and not least handicrafts from the Bornholm designer, Pernille Bülow. Also visit the large outlet department, where you can get normally expensive branded products for very little money. After you have made some good deals, you can enjoy the cozy atmosphere in Boderne's small café with a good cup of coffee or a glass of bubbles.

Time travel through millions of years

In the old days, the fish wives drove the catch of fish with a wheelbarrow to the nearby larger town, Åkirkeby, to sell the fish at the market there. Back then, it was probably a tough uphill ride with a heavily loaded wheelbarrow, but today it only takes you about 10 minutes by car to get from Boderne to Åkirkeby.

When you are in Åkirkeby, a good tip is to visit the experience center NaturBornholm. NaturBornholm shows you Bornholm's dramatic development from red-hot lava to the lush sunshine island that we know today. It is also at NaturBornholm that the Fennoscandian marginal zone cuts through the landscape. Feel the presence of history when you stand with one foot on sandstone and the other on granite, which is 1.2 billion years older. Back then, dinosaurs ruled Bornholm – and on NaturBornholm you can see fossilized dinosaur parts, giant dinosaur models and, not least, the dinosaurs' modern-day cousin: Living crocodiles.

Betting on two horses

Also visit Åkirke with the famous Christian baptismal font from 1150, which is one of the few - perhaps the only one in the world - that has pagan runic inscriptions, and legend has it that this would give the baptismal font magical powers. Adolf Hitler was so interested in this magic that in 1941 he ordered the baptismal font to be sent to Germany. Soon, however, other and more urgent tasks came for Germany, and therefore you can still experience the baptismal font in Åkirkeby. The magical powers have - diplomatically speaking - never been "scientifically proven", so perhaps the inscriptions are just about the fact that the people of Bornholm in 1150 played on "two horses", because it was uncertain whether Christianity or Odin/Thor would win the battle for the Danes' faith.

You can also bet on two horses... literally... on the world's smallest trotting track, which is located just 6 kilometers from Åkirkeby. You are very close to the horses when they come at full speed in the run-up. On the way home to Boderne, you can drive through the Bison Forest, where there is a good chance of seeing some of Europe's last bison. It is a fantastic experience to see the large animals.

Michelin restaurant and smoked herring

If you won the big prize at the trotting track, you might choose to have dinner at the Michelin-starred restaurant Kadeau, which is just a 10-minute drive south of Boderne. Other good restaurant suggestions are Fredensborg Badehotel in Rønne with French-inspired dishes and sea views. When you are on Bornholm, you must of course also taste Bornholm's national dish: The smoked herring, and one of the island's best smokehouses is Bakkarøgeriet, which is a few minutes' drive from Boderne.