When Bornholm was discovered as a tourist destination back at the beginning of 1900, it was particularly Allinge-Sandvig, with its towering cliffs and chalk-white sand in small lagoons, that acted as a magnet for the Danes and Germans.
Ever since 1906, a hotel has been run at the site where Hotel Hammersø sits. In 1942, Magnus and Karen Kjær purchased the hotel, and despite the difficult conditions of World War 2, things went well. In 1944, however, German troops confiscated Hotel Hammersø, and the site was used as a field hospital for wounded German soldiers from the East Front. This was a tough time for the otherwise wonderful hotel building, and it was quickly worn down.
Denmark was liberated in May 1945. Unfortunately, the liberation did not apply to Bornholm, which was instead occupied by Russian forces.
The Russian forces immediately confiscated the best-located hotels in Bornholm – including Hotel Hammersø. In the period leading up to 1946, when the Russian troops returned Bornholm to Denmark, Hotel Hammersø served as a command centre for Russian officers.
When Magnus Kjær got his hotel back in 1946, it was in a miserable state. With Marshall Aid from the US, as well as major efforts from Magnus and Karen Kjær, the site was wonderfully restored and could again serve as an idyllic holiday spot.
Nina Kjær, daughter of Magnus and Karen Kjær, took over Hotel Hammersø in 1988 with her husband Birger. The spot has since been continuously renovated and partially expanded, so today it spans across far more hotel rooms, but also summer houses and holiday apartments at Hotel Hammersø, at Sandvig Strand and at South Bornholm.
Today, Ninette Kjær, the third generation of the family, is also a co-owner and is involved in the operation of Hotel Hammersø.