Balka (Denmark)

Balka
Help on coat of arms Balka
Basic data
State :	Denmark
Region :	Hovedstaden
Municipality (since 2003) :	Bornholm's regional commune
Coordinates :	55 ° 2 ′  N , 15 ° 6 ′  E Coordinates: 55 ° 2 ′  N , 15 ° 6 ′  E
Population : (2020)	211
Postal code :	3730 Nexø
Balka Beach, Melå stream, the harbor in the background

Balka is a small town with 211 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2020) on the east coast of the Danish Baltic Sea island Bornholm , which borders on Snogebæk to the north and is about three kilometers south of Nexø .

history

Balka (Balka Beach) is first mentioned in the 18th century. Originally there were only a few farms in the otherwise barren Balka Mark in the bay between Nexø and Snogebæk. The residents used the small town as a starting point for fishing. In 1915, a small harbor was built, which was expanded to three basins in the 1970s and 1980s and is now only used for recreational purposes. Balka grew in recent times through single-family houses along the main street.

Between 1900 and 1968 Balka was integrated with the station Balka Strand in the railway line Rønne - Nexø of the De Bornholmske Jernbaner .

The place belongs to the parish Bodil ( Bodilsker Sogn ), which until 1970 belonged to Harde Sønder Herred in what was then Bornholms Amt . With the dissolution of the Harden structure, the parish was included in the municipality of Neksø , the municipality in turn merged with other municipalities in the regional municipality of Bornholm after a referendum on January 1, 2003 . Between 2003 and 2007 it was independent and since January 1st 2007 it belongs to the Hovedstaden region .

With its wide sandy beach and fine sand, Balka is now a popular seaside resort.

Geology and landscape

The soil of Balka consists of the Balka sandstone , also called Hardeberga sandstone , a medium-grain quartz sand that is rich in trace fossils. The oldest Danish animal and plant remains in the form of microscopic algae and coal membranes from worm-like animals are found in the shelter between the sandbanks in the coastal waters.

Hundsemyre , west of Balka, is a nutrient-rich raised bog with open water areas and many small islands. The 94 hectare site is an important resting and feeding area for migratory birds and a breeding ground for numerous bird species. In the northern area the Melå flows through it. The raised bog used to be used for peat extraction, especially during the two world wars. Since 1977 it has been a nature reserve that cannot be entered during the breeding season in spring.

Web links

• Balka, Bornholm.net [4]

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Statistics Banks -> Befolkning og valg -> BY1: Folketal January 1st efter byområde, alder og køn (Danish)
2. ↑ [1] , Nexø formation, Skan-Kristalin.
3. ↑ [2] , Balka, Den Store Danske - Gyldendals open encyclopedia.
4. ↑ [3] , Hundsemyre, Den Store Danske - Gyldendals open encyclopedia.
5. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from February 1, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Hundsemyre, Bornholm Info.