The Horseman.
At 162 meters above sea level, Rytterknægten is the highest natural point on Bornholm and is located in the middle of the island in Almindingen. Rytterknægten is part of the bedrock that makes up Bornholm. But why is this rock called the Horseman’s Knuckle?
To find the answer, you have to think far back in time. Back then, the horse was a very important animal and the only means of transportation.
It was a long ride to get from one side of the island to the other, and the natural place to stop for a rest was at the top of the ridge, which at the time had a good view of most of the island, as most of the trees had been cut down and used for building houses, ships and fuel. When it was time to continue riding, it wasn’t always easy to get back on the horse. The upper middle class had a stable boy (stable boy) along for the ride who walked or ran after the horse, his job was to help the rider get back on the horse – a rider boy. He could be ordered to get down on all fours so the rider could step onto his back and onto the horse. If you couldn’t afford a stable boy, you would drag the horse to the big rock and use it as a riding jack.
Royal mind.
In August 1851, King Frederik d. 7th and Countess Danner Bornholm. It was the first official visit where the King could present his new “consort” to the people.
To commemorate this day, a committee of citizens was formed in 1854 with the aim of raising money to build a memorial to the eventful day. The memorial was to be a tower built on the highest point on Bornholm – at Rytterknægten.
However, they did not succeed in collecting all the money from the citizens, which ended up costing 7109 rdl 4 mark 1 shl. The following year, Bornholm County Council decided to supplement the missing amount for the construction of the tower. That same year, the committee asked Bornholm County to take over the maintenance and supervision of the tower, which meant that a forester was hired for the purpose.
The tower, designed by architect Michael Gottlieb Bindesbøll (1800 – 1856). is 12.6 m high and 14 m in circumference, built in rough-hewn granite blocks, around the door, the plinth cornice and the upper cornice are all made of finely cut granite. The memorial plaque and the decorations on the door and consoles are made of cast iron. Inside the tower, a staircase leads up to the viewing platform, which is surrounded by a cast iron railing.
The plaque above the door reads the following:
In Remembrance
about His Majesty King Frederik the Seventh’s
presence here on the island from August 8th to 16th, 1851
together with High Consort
the people of Bornholm traveled out of subordinate love and devotion
this building in 1855 and gave it the name
Royal mind.
The tower was completed and inaugurated on d. September 9, 1856.
By the 1890s, the surrounding forest Almindingen had grown so much that the view from Kongemindet had almost disappeared. In 1894, the Danish Tourist Association suggested that the tower be raised so that it could once again offer a view of Bornholm. The architect chosen for this task was Thorvald Bindesbøll (1846 – 1908), the son of the architect who designed the tower.
Thorvald Bindesbøll chose to design a tower made of iron, perhaps inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The tower that was completed in 1899. is 9 m high and made of riveted steel profiles and cast iron parts that were painted with carriage paint.
The tower has been dismantled and renovated several times, most recently in 2023, when the renovation was carried out by Tejn Smedeforretning.
