Østersøen Holiday Apartments seen from Svaneke Harbour
From merchant’s house to holiday apartments
In the 1700 and 1800s, Svaneke was home to many wealthy ship owners, who built magnificent merchant’s houses along the harbour. For centuries, the old merchant’s house, which today is known as Østersøen Holiday Apartments, has been located right there on the harbour. The oldest records are from 1758, where Madame Else Chat inherited the merchant’s house from her husband. In 1804, the leading man in Svaneke, tradesman and vice consul, Herman Jørgen Hansen, bought the merchant’s house.
From merchant’s house to guesthouse
The merchant’s house stayed in the Hansen family, and in 1870, his son in law, surveyor Munck, took over the building. Shortly hereafter, he opened a guesthouse in some of the buildings. The guesthouse was expanded in 1889, so that surveyor Munck was able to offer residences to his honourable guests – as he announced it in the local paper.
From hotel to holiday apartments
Through the 1900s, the then named Hotel Østersøen was known as one of the foremost hotels on Bornholm, among tourists, as well as the locals. In 1990, the hotel was carefully rebuilt to house holiday apartments, and the old courtyard was transformed with a flower garden and accompanying swimming pool. In 2008, (250 years after Madame Chat took over), all apartments were completely renovated, and have since then been carefully maintained and modernised, so that, today, the apartments are some of the most sought after holiday homes on Bornholm.
