Gudhjem

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Gudhjem is a small town and fishing port on the northern coast of the Danish island of Bornholm. About 730 people live there (2025). The town is popular with visitors for its steep, picturesque streets and views.

Gudhjem has a long fishing history. Its old St Anne’s Chapel is now a ruin dating from around 1300. The harbour was first built in the mid-1800s, destroyed by a storm in 1872 and rebuilt in 1889. A second harbour was built between 1897 and 1906 to shelter whaling and fishing boats.

Gudhjem is famous for smoked herring, prepared in local smokehouses. Since the 1840s, smoked herrings have been sent to Copenhagen. The Gudhjem–Christiansø ferry has connected the towns since 1684.

Gudhjem Mølle, Denmark’s largest windmill, stands on the hill above the town. It was built in 1893, taken out of service in 1962, and now houses a shop and a café.

The town is also home to the Oluf Høst Museum, dedicated to the Danish painter Oluf Høst, who spent the later years of his life in Gudhjem.