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Kanonstilling G3 – WWII Gun Battery in the Forest of Dueodde

A vast unfinished WWII gun battery hidden in Bornholm’s pines, where moss-covered concrete, dark bunkers and Baltic history meet just behind Dueodde’s dunes.

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Hidden in the pine forest near Dueodde on Bornholm, Kanonstilling G3 is a massive unfinished German World War II coastal gun battery. Built in 1940 to control the southern Baltic, its concrete ring, bunkers and tunnels were meant to hold a gigantic naval gun that was never installed. Today the silent emplacements, mossy walls and dark corridors create a striking contrast with the nearby dunes and holiday cottages, offering a powerful, atmospheric glimpse into the island’s wartime past.

A brief summary to Kanonstilling G3

  • H C Møllersvej 6, Nexø, 3730, DK
  • Visit website
  • Duration: 0.5 to 2 hours
  • Free
  • Environment icon Outdoor
  • Mobile reception: 4 out of 5

Local tips

  • Bring a good torch or headlamp if you want to explore the interior bunkers and tunnels; natural light does not reach many of the rooms.
  • Wear sturdy shoes, as surfaces can be sandy, uneven and slippery, especially on the concrete edges and in damp underground spaces.
  • Combine your visit with time at nearby Dueodde Beach to appreciate the contrast between peaceful dunes and the heavy wartime fortifications.
  • In windy or cool weather, pack an extra layer; the bunkers can feel noticeably colder and more humid than the surrounding forest.
  • If you are interested in broader context, pair G3 with the Cold War and WWII exhibits at Bornholmertaarnet / Dueodde’s military museum area.
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Getting There

  • Car from Nexø

    From central Nexø, driving to the Dueodde forest around Kanonstilling G3 typically takes 15–20 minutes. Expect mainly paved local roads and a short stretch on narrower lanes through woodland. Parking is usually free in designated areas near the bunkers or nearby attractions, but spaces can fill up on sunny summer days. Fuel costs are the main expense; there are no entrance fees for the site itself.

  • Local bus from Rønne via Dueodde area

    Public buses operate between Rønne and the south-eastern part of Bornholm, with routes serving the Dueodde and Nexø area. The journey from Rønne bus terminal generally takes 45–70 minutes depending on route and season, and a one-way adult ticket is commonly in the range of 30–60 DKK. Services run more frequently in summer and less often in winter, so check current timetables and be prepared for a short forest walk from the nearest stop.

  • Cycling from Dueodde and nearby holiday areas

    Dueodde and the surrounding holiday-home districts are linked by relatively flat local roads and signposted cycle paths, making it realistic to reach Kanonstilling G3 by bike in around 10–25 minutes from many nearby accommodations. Surfaces are a mix of asphalt and compacted sand; some short stretches can be soft after rain. There is no charge for access, but lighting and reflective gear are recommended if you ride outside daylight hours.

Kanonstilling G3 location weather suitability

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Discover more about Kanonstilling G3

Concrete Giant in the Bornholm Pines

Kanonstilling G3 lies tucked into the sandy woodland south of Nexø, where tall pines sway above one of Bornholm’s strangest wartime relics. From the forest floor, the structure appears almost like a buried fortress: thick concrete walls, a vast circular pit and angular embankments rising subtly from the heather and moss. Built by the German military in 1940, this was intended to be one of four huge coastal batteries guarding the southern Baltic Sea. The scale becomes clear as you step closer. The emplacement stretches roughly 30 metres by 40 metres, a broad platform with a circular opening at its heart. Here, engineers planned to mount a naval gun around 17 metres long, weighing over 100 tonnes and capable of hurling enormous shells far across the Baltic. The weapon never arrived, but the empty ring still suggests how dominant this position would have been over the sea lanes south of Bornholm.

Ambitions, Frost and Abandonment

G3 and its twin, G4, were part of an ambitious German plan to fortify Bornholm as a key outpost during World War II. The island’s location made it strategically important as German forces sought to control shipping routes and protect their Eastern Front supply lines. Construction teams began pouring concrete and carving out bunkers in the forest, but the project soon ran into serious obstacles. Labour shortages hampered progress from the start, and the brutal winter of 1940–41 brought record low temperatures that cracked and stalled the works. Faced with technical setbacks and shifting priorities in the wider war, the German command eventually abandoned the scheme. The vast gun pits were left empty; only the stark shells of the emplacements remained, mute reminders of a military vision that never fully materialised.

Echoes of War in a Peaceful Landscape

Today, Kanonstilling G3 is freely accessible, a place where nature and history collide. The once-fierce geometry of the concrete has softened around the edges, stained with lichen and framed by trunks and undergrowth. As you move into the central pit, the sounds of the forest dim, replaced by an odd, cave-like hush created by the thick walls and open sky above. It is hard not to imagine the alternate history these structures suggest. Bornholm played a unique role at the end of the war; even as the rest of Denmark marked liberation in May 1945, the island remained under German control until Soviet bombardments forced a surrender. Though G3’s gun was never installed, the emplacement symbolises how close the island came to becoming an even heavier fortified stronghold at the Baltic gateway.

Exploring Bunkers, Tunnels and Hidden Corners

For visitors, part of the fascination lies in the site’s rawness. Rough stairways, narrow entrances and low passages lead into adjoining bunkers where light falls in dim bands through doorways and cracks. Inside, you may find graffiti, damp walls and scattered sand, but little interpretation; this is more open ruin than formal museum. A torch is essential if you intend to venture into the darker rooms and corridors. Above ground, the emplacement blends into the forest floor, forming a kind of concrete amphitheatre. Children often clamber along the walls while adults study the structure’s layout, tracing cable channels, ammunition niches and firing positions. The experience is tactile and self-guided, inviting you to reconstruct the missing machinery and routines of a wartime battery from the clues in the architecture.

Between Holiday Calm and Wartime Memory

What makes Kanonstilling G3 especially striking is its setting close to Dueodde’s bright dunes and beaches. Within a short distance, you move from soft sand and holiday cottages to stark concrete and shadowy bunkers. The contrast between carefree seaside life and the heavy infrastructure of occupation encapsulates Bornholm’s layered identity. As you leave the gun pit and step back among the trees, the bunker seems to sink once more into its surroundings. Birds call overhead, and the scent of resin and sea air replaces the chill of the underground rooms. G3 lingers as a quiet but powerful memorial: not a battlefield, but a monument to plans that never came to fruition and to an island that has carried the weight of its strategic position long after the war ended.

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