Årsdale: Windmill, harbour and smokehouse history

The windmill and its family history

Årsdale Mølle is a landmark. It was built by millwright Didrik Kjøller from Nexø and his four sons; after its construction, it remained in the Kjøller family’s ownership. In 2003, it was the last of Bornholm’s windmills to cease operating. Its builders, family ownership and the end of its operation give the windmill a concrete historical context.

Harbour, fishing and smokehouses

Årsdale harbour was built in 1869. Årsdale was once Bornholm’s largest smokehouse town and one of the island’s larger fishing communities; the town had more than 30 fishing boats. The harbour, fishing and smokehouses are therefore three distinct themes in the town’s history.

Near the harbour, there is an active smokehouse and a fish shop where you can buy fish. As business status can change, check in advance whether they are operating if you are planning a specific visit. Aarsdale Røgeri & Bistro also smokes vegetables as well as fish. This culinary highlight therefore extends beyond fish; details of the offering may change.

Choosing Årsdale as a place to stay

The character of the town can be a clear criterion when looking for a holiday apartment: if the windmill, harbour and fishing history are your main interests, include Årsdale specifically in your choice of location. For a stay focused on several aspects of Bornholm, weigh the local focus against the island’s other stories.

Bornholm in a broader context

Across Bornholm, there were a total of eight windmills of this type, which is characteristic of the island. The history of smokehouses also varies from place to place: Bornholm’s first smokehouse opened in Gudhjem in 1866; herring has been smoked there ever since. Hasle Smokehouse is the last smokehouse on Bornholm where smoking is done in the traditional way, using open chimneys and alder wood. By comparison, Årsdale is known for its former importance as a smokehouse town, Gudhjem for the 1866 smokehouse and Hasle for its traditional smoking method. These examples place Årsdale’s local history in a broader island context.

Getting to Bornholm

Bornholm can be reached by ferry, plane, bus or train. The ferry crossing from Ystad in Sweden to Bornholm takes one hour and 20 minutes. Check current routes and timetables before travelling. When choosing a holiday apartment, you can separately decide whether Årsdale, with its windmill and fishing history, matches the kind of location you are looking for.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Kås, Arsballe, Sandkås, Hasle, Klemensker, Bodilsker, Gudhjem, Sose.

Back to the main travel overview: Bornholm.