Bornholm Art Museum

High above the Helligdomsklipperne, the famous rocky coastline between Gudhjem and Tejn, stands Bornholm Art Museum — a building where architecture, landscape and collection come together as one experience. The building itself is worth the trip: erected in 1993 by architects Fogh & Følner, the winners of a competition that drew 187 entries, and extended in 2003, it follows the natural slope down to the Baltic across three levels, built from brick, zinc, granite, sandstone and timber.

A holy spring running through the building

The architectural signature runs straight through the middle of the building: the Helligdomskilden, revered as a holy spring for centuries and the namesake of the cliffs, flows along an open channel down the central "museum street" and on towards the sea. Together with the view across the rocky coastline, it turns the building itself into an attraction.

The Bornholm School of painters and craft

At the heart of the collection is the Bornholm School of painters from around 1910 to 1930: Edvard Weie, Karl Isakson, Oluf Høst, Olaf Rude, Kræsten Iversen and Niels Lergaard, who painted on Bornholm and Christiansø — Isakson's and Weie's views of the house "Mindet" on Christiansø rank among the key works of Danish modernism. The museum also shows Bornholm-related art from the early 19th century to today, alongside ceramics and glass from the island, recognised as a World Craft Region for its arts and crafts. The collection belongs to the Bornholms Museumsforening, founded in 1893.

Getting there and practical information

• By car via Helligdomsvejen; dedicated parking on the south side of the museum.
• The BAT bus stops at Helligdommen station right by the building. In summer, the excursion boat M/S Thor sails from Gudhjem along the rocky coast to the jetty in around 55 minutes — the most scenic way to arrive.
• On foot: the coastal path from Gudhjem to the museum is about 6 kilometres, and the viewpoints over the Helligdomsklipperne lie right below the building.
• Accessible with a lift, elevator and disabled toilet; drop-off at the main entrance is possible.

Is it worth a visit?

For anyone interested in art, this is the island's most important museum, and the combination of building, spring and cliff landscape wins over visitors who don't normally seek out museums, too. For more of the island's history, combine it with Bornholm Museum in Rønne; for something more hands-on, head to Hjorths Fabrik, the working ceramics workshop.