Gudhjem is a small town and fishing port on the northern coast of the Baltic

Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...

 island of Bornholm

Bornholm

Bornholm is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea located to the east of the rest of Denmark, the south of Sweden, and the north of Poland. The main industries on the island include fishing, arts and crafts like glass making and pottery using locally worked clay, and dairy farming. Tourism is...

, Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

. Its population is 724 (1 January 2011).

Gudhjem is a popular venue for tourists who are attracted by its steep, picturesque streets, stunning views and a friendly atmosphere.

History

Its history as a fishing village goes back many years. Its harbour was first built in the middle of the 19th century but was destroyed by a storm in 1872 and rebuilt in 1889. A second harbour was constructed between 1897 and 1906 to provide a safe haven for whaling and fishing boats.

Gudhjem is home to the Oluf Høst Museum

Oluf Høst

Oluf Høst was the only member of the Bornholm school of painters who was a real Bornholmer. Although he had studied in Copenhagen, he returned to the Danish island of Bornholm in 1929 where he remained with his family until he died. Bognemark, the little farmhouse near Gudhjem was one of Høst's...

. It was in Gudhjem that smoked herring

Herring

Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...

s were first prepared, in the town's typical smokehouse

Smokehouse

A smokehouse is a building where meat or fish is cured with smoke. The finished product might be stored in the building, sometimes for a year or more.-History:...

s. Since the 1840s, smoked herrings have been sent to Copenhagen. The Gudhjem-Christiansø

Ertholmene

Ertholmene, generally called Christiansø, is a small archipelago situated approximately 18 km northeast of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. Its permanent population is 96 and its area is 39 hectares...

ferry has been functioning since 1684.