Hammerfyr

Right at the top of Hammeren, Denmark's only granite headland, stands a lighthouse built from the very rock it rests on: Hammerfyr. On a clear day, the view from its platform stretches across the Baltic to the Swedish coast. Two kilometres away, down by the water, sits its smaller companion, Hammerodde Fyr.

Hammerfyr - built from Bornholm granite

No other lighthouse in Denmark stands on firmer ground. Hammerfyr rises in the north of Bornholm right on top of Hammeren, on its highest point, the 70-metre Ørnebjerg. The 21-metre tower is built from the very same granite it stands on - the stone was quarried just a few metres to the west, where the small rainwater lake Kristalsøen now sits.

On the viewing platform, which wraps around the hand-ground Fresnel lens imported from France, you stand 91 metres above sea level. On a clear day that makes for a spectacular panorama: out over the water to the Christiansø islands and the Swedish coast, and inland to Sandvig and Gudhjem in the east and the Hammershus castle ruin and Vang in the west. Directly below the tower spreads an unusual landscape of rock and heath.

New life after 20 years dark

Hammerfyr went into service on 1 March 1872, guiding ships along the busy sea lane between the north of Bornholm and the southern tip of Sweden. The light was switched off in 1990 - modern satellite navigation had made it redundant, and the tower spent too much time wrapped in low cloud anyway. No longer needed for shipping, it passed from the maritime authority to the nature agency Naturstyrelsen.

In 2011, Jette and Niels-Jørn Jensen moved into the leased lighthouse grounds and obtained permission to relight the tower at their own expense, albeit at a lower intensity than before. Today Hammerfyr shines again, welcomes around 40,000 to 50,000 visitors a year, and in summer Niels-Jørn Jensen regularly leads tours himself. The leaseholders run their own website about the lighthouse, so far mostly in Danish.

Hammerodde Fyr - the little helper by the water

The squat, square Hammerodde Fyr stands on Bornholm's northernmost point and was put into service in 1895 to back up Hammerfyr. It owes its existence to the larger tower's awkward position high on Ørnebjerg, which too often vanishes into fog - the lower tower by the water stayed visible even then.

In 1962, Hammerodde Fyr earned itself a footnote in world history: its keeper was among the first Western observers to report Soviet missiles being shipped on freighters - the prelude to the Cuban Missile Crisis. The tower sits right on the coastal path but isn't open to the public; the former keeper's buildings are now private holiday homes. It's still worth the stop from outside, if only for the rugged coastal scenery around the northern tip.

Getting there and visiting

Access is typically by car to the free car park at Hammerfyr (Fyrvej 15, 3770 Allinge); the nearest towns are Sandvig and Allinge, in the north of the island. There are basic toilets at the tower. The climb up is via a narrow spiral staircase - you'll want to be reasonably steady on your feet for the tower itself.

• Hammerodde Fyr is about 800m from the Hammerknuden car park, along a paved, partly hilly path that's also suitable for wheelchairs.
• If you have time, combine the lighthouse with the coastal walk on to Salomons Kapel or round the northern tip to Hammer Havn.
• There's no food or drink at the tower itself - the nearest options are in Sandvig, Allinge or at Hammer Havn.

Is it worth visiting?

For the views, Hammerfyr is one of the finest vantage points on Bornholm - but only in clear weather. With low cloud the view disappears into the mist, and the climb is barely worth it then. Plan your visit around the weather and combine it with the nearby Hammershus castle ruin and the coastal path around Hammeren. For more on Bornholm's lighthouses, see our lighthouses guide.