Hammershus

Hammershus crowns a height at the northern tip of Bornholm, overlooking the Baltic. Built in the thirteenth century, it was among the largest medieval fortresses in Scandinavia, with a great tower and a long circuit of walls. In struggles between Denmark's kings and the archbishops, it served as a refuge for the latter and was repeatedly taken by royal forces.

Christian II captured Hammershus in 1521 and imprisoned the bishop of Funen there; Lübeck's forces took it later that year. Swedish troops seized the fortress in 1645 and occupied it again in 1658, but an island revolt ended Swedish rule and returned Bornholm to the Danish king. Corfitz Ulfeldt and Leonora Christina were held here in 1660–1661. Abandoned as a stronghold in 1743, Hammershus was partly demolished around 1750; its remains were protected in 1822.