Hotel Siemsens Gaard
Lounge area at Hotel Siemsens Gaard
Canon battery at Svaneke Smokehouse
Hotel Siemsens Gaard: The story of the former merchant farm.
Already around the 16th century, there were small farms on the site where Hotel Siemsens Gaard is located today. During the 17th century, the farms became larger, just as they changed character, so that they functioned as merchant farms.
The merchant farm at the harbor in Svaneke quickly gained status as one of Bornholm's largest and most important merchant farms. It was probably for this reason that King Christian the Fifth chose to spend the night at the merchant's farm when he visited Bornholm in 1686. Among the king's entourage were Admiral Niels Juel and the Norwegian governor Gyldenløve as well as a number of other figures in the Danish power elite. Where good people are, good people come.
Jeppe Holst takes over the merchant farm
At the beginning of the 19th century, the merchant farm was taken over by Jeppe Holst, who was an enterprising and skilled businessman. Jeppe Holst was also willing to take a risk. During the wars with England in 1807-1814, the Danish king issued so-called privateer letters, which gave the holder permission to conduct a form of state-authorized piracy against English and Swedish ships. Jeppe Holst got a privateer's letter and equipped a small fast sailing ship with cannons. It was obviously a risky venture, but Jeppe Holst captured several English ships. The ships with their cargo were sold at auctions and brought in large sums. Sea piracy was a very important source of income for Bornholm in these years, as the income by today's standards was in the billions. England would of course not accept this and continuously threatened to invade Bornholm - and the nearby Christiansø archipelago. At Svaneke Smokehouse you can see a cannon battery from that time.
The merchant farm is named Siemsens Gaard
In 1827, Jeppe Holst died as an extremely wealthy man. His widow, Anne Marie Nielsdatter Kofoed, was therefore a very attractive match, and in 1831 she married the somewhat younger Prussian consul Johan Chr. Pingel Siemsen. After this, the merchant farm was named "Siemsens Gaard". In the following years, the merchant's yard was expanded, but when the railway came to Bornholm at the beginning of the 20th century, the importance of the port became less - and the need for large merchant's yard also disappeared.
During the 1930s, Siemsens Gaard was therefore converted into a hotel. The hotel had changing owners in the following years, but in 1971 Hotel Siemsens Gaard was bought by Tenna and Will Ipsen. Tenna and Will lovingly renovated the hotel, and with its charm and fantastic location, the hotel quickly became one of the island's leading hotels for locals and tourists alike.
Booking
Look up prices for Siemsens Gaard by clicking on the price list. You can also inquire about prices including ferry crossings - as well as available periods - by using the inquiry box at the top of the page. You are also very welcome to call us every day of the week: +45 5695 8566. Book your stay now, and start looking forward to a wonderful holiday on Bornholm.
