Kongemindet Tower on Rytterknægten, Bornholm

Royal memorial on Bornholm’s rooftop

Kongemindet rises from the wooded summit of Rytterknægten, the highest point on Bornholm at 162 meters above sea level. Set deep in Almindingen forest, it feels both central and secluded, a quiet high point in the island’s green heart. The tower was built in 1856 as a memorial to the 1851 visit of King Frederik VII of Denmark and Countess Danner, funded by local residents as a statement of loyalty and pride. Today, the structure still combines ceremonial symbolism with the simple pleasure of a far-reaching view. The core of Kongemindet is a stout granite tower designed by architect Gottlieb Bindesbøll. Its masonry is decorated with sculpted lion heads and crowned by a viewing platform, giving it the character of a small fortress planted among the trees. A dedicatory inscription commemorates the royal visit and gives the tower its name, literally “the king’s memorial”. Even before you climb, there is a sense of standing at a place that has mattered to Bornholmers for generations.

Climbing into the Bornholm sky

By the end of the 19th century Almindingen’s trees had grown so tall that the original tower no longer cleared the canopy. In 1899 a steel extension, around 9 meters high, was added on top of the granite base, creating the distinctive two-part silhouette seen today. Together, hill and tower bring you to roughly 184 meters above sea level – one of Denmark’s very highest vantage points. The iron superstructure has twin staircases, one for going up and one for coming down, which threads visitors through a narrow lattice of steel. The climb is not long, but the open framework gives you shifting glimpses of forest and sky as you ascend. At the top, the platform is compact but open to every horizon. On clear days you can scan across most of Bornholm, pick out the line of the Ertholmene archipelago offshore, and sense how the island sits between Baltic sea and Swedish coast.

Forest, wildlife and changing seasons

All around Kongemindet stretches Almindingen, one of Denmark’s largest forests, a patchwork of conifers, broadleaf stands, clearings and wetlands. From the tower you see a rolling, tree-cloaked landscape, broken occasionally by glades and distant farmsteads. Down on the forest floor, soft paths, heather and moss create a cool, earthy counterpoint to the airy viewpoint above. This is a place where seasons are sharply drawn. In spring, fresh beech leaves and birdsong rise towards the platform; in summer, dense foliage turns the tower into an island of shade above a green sea. Autumn brings fiery browns and golds, and winter can strip the trees back to reveal more of the island’s contours, sometimes under a frosting of snow. The tower has also been used as a practical high point: radio transmitters and radar once stood here, and in spring it still serves as a perch for bird observations as migrants pass over Bornholm.

Stories hidden in stone and metal

Kongemindet carries quiet traces of Danish history. During the Second World War, German forces added a radio installation to the structure, exploiting its height and central position. In the Cold War era, equipment here helped watch movements to the east, a reminder that this tranquil island lay close to a major political frontier. Those layers have since been peeled back, leaving the tower to return to its original role as lookout and landmark. The surrounding Almindingen area contains other historic and natural sites, from rift valleys such as Ekkodalen to ancient fortifications like Gamleborg. Seen from the tower, they are invisible, but knowing they lie in the forest’s folds adds to the sense that Kongemindet is both viewpoint and key to the wider landscape. Standing on the platform, you are quite literally above much of Bornholm’s story.

Experiencing Kongemindet today

Visiting Kongemindet is largely an outdoor, self-guided experience. There is no entrance fee, and the tower is generally accessible during daylight hours, inviting spontaneous stops as part of a walk or drive through Almindingen. A small parking area and clear paths make the final approach straightforward, though the last meters involve steps and a short climb on metal stairs. Many visitors combine a brief ascent with a longer forest walk or picnic nearby, using the tower as a highlight rather than the whole outing. The atmosphere is relaxed and unhurried, defined by wind in the treetops, distant woodpeckers, and the occasional clank of footsteps on the steel stairs. For photographers, the structure itself – granite base, iron lattice, and the endless texture of forest beyond – offers strong compositions. For others, the reward is simply the quiet satisfaction of standing on the roof of Bornholm and letting the landscape unfold in every direction.