Vestermarie


Vestermarie is a village midway between Rønne and Aakirkeby on the Danish island of Bornholm. As of 2020, it has a population of 250.

History

The village takes its name from the original Vestermarie Church which was dedicated to the Virgin Mary in 1335. The prefix "vester" distinguishes it from Østermarie, "øster" meaning "east". Today's church was completed in 1835 in the Neo-Romanesque style. The churchyard contains a number of runestones.

The village today

The village is essentially a residential area for those working in Rønne, only away. Since the 1950s, it has grown gradually to the west and northwest of the church. There is a school and a food store but no other businesses. The community hall is of interest to the local heritage.

Prehistoric sites

An impressive group of menhirs stands on Bjergebakken some 2 km north of the village. The grave site on Store Bjergegårdsbakken was investigated in the 1890s and listed in 1894. In addition to burnt bones, there were fibulae, a sword, beads, iron keys and small pots indicating that the graves date from the end of the Iron Age, i.e. 500–400 BC.