Nexø

Harbour and history

Nexø sits on Bornholm's east coast and, after Rønne, is the island's second-largest town. It was already a fishing settlement and trading post in the Middle Ages, and was granted town rights in 1346. The harbour still defines Nexø today – it's home to Bornholm's largest fishing fleet, and that maritime tradition is felt everywhere in town.

The town's history has had its share of setbacks: fires – including one in 1756 – and, more recently, Soviet bombing raids on 7 and 8 May 1945 destroyed large parts of Nexø. As reconstruction aid, Sweden donated around 300 timber houses to Bornholm, of which about 75 went up in Nexø. These pastel-coloured "Svenskehuse" ("Swedish houses") still stand today.

Martin Andersen Nexø

The town is known well beyond Bornholm through the writer Martin Andersen Nexø (1869–1954), who spent part of his childhood here and took the town's name as his pen name. His best-known work is the autobiographical novel "Pelle the Conqueror", made into a film in 1987. His former home is now the Martin Andersen Nexø Museum, dedicated to his life and work.

Museums and townscape

The old town hall, built in 1796, houses the Nexø Museum, which tells the story of the town and its close ties to fishing. A term from geology also carries the town's name: the reddish Nexø sandstone is named after the town and was widely used as a building stone in the region.

Gateway to the south

From Nexø it's a short trip to the island's south, with its large sandy beaches. Just south of town lies the family-friendly Balka Beach, a little further on is the fishing village of Snogebæk, and at the southern tip the wide dune beaches of Dueodde await.