Østermarie

Østermarie
Village
The old and new churches of Østermarie
Østermarie Location on Bornholm
Coordinates: 55°8′N 15°0′E / 55.133°N 15.000°E / 55.133; 15.000
Country	Denmark
Region	Capital (Hovedstaden)
Municipality	Bornholm
Population (2015)
• Total	483
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)

Østermarie is a village on the Danish island of Bornholm, 8 km (5.0 mi) west of Svaneke. Founded ca. 1880, its old church, now a ruin, dates back to the 12th century. The population as of 1 January 2015 is 483.

Although St Mary's Church (Sct. Maria Kirke) was built in the second half of the 12th century, today's village has its origins around 1880 when the first dwellings were built. As the village became more prosperous, a new church was built in 1891. A house named Godthåb (1883) served as the local post office. Godthåb, used on the post-office stamp, was the first official name of the locality. When the railway station was opened in 1916, the name was changed to Østermarie. In fact, the original name of the parish was Markersen, short for Mary's Church Parish, but it later became Østermarie (Eastern Mary) to distinguish it from Vestermarie, the western St Mary's Parish on the island. Buses now replace the railway service which was discontinued in 1952.

In area, Østermarie is the largest parish on Bornholm. While the population in rural villages has generally declined, the number of inhabitants in Østermarie has been fairly stable in recent years, thanks in part to its lively retail trade. Each year, the KulturBornholm association, based in Østermarie, selects an Artist of Honour who has a street named after him. Recent winners have given their names to Aage Haugland's Gyde (Lane) in honour of the Wagner bass, "Benny Andersens Boldgade" songwriter, and "Seamus Heaney Stræde" celebrating the Irish Nobel Prize-winning poet. In 2010, the Danish harpsichordist Lars Ulrik Mortensen received the award.

In 1885, the tower of the old Romanesque church was in danger of collapsing and had to be demolished. Soon afterwards, it was decided that the entire church should be demolished but when it was found that the building was of considerable architectural interest the work was stopped in 1890. At that time, the south wall and the apsis were still intact. It was discovered that the nave contained two barrel vaults as a ceiling and two pillars at the centre of the church. The pillars supported three arches along the length of the church. Even more interesting was the construction of the chancel where there is a small chamber just above the vault which relieves the pressure on the roof by some 20 tons. The roof itself was covered with Nexø sandstone. Stone roof coverings are quite unusual in Scandinavia, only being found in a few churches in Scania, although the technique was quite common in Ireland. The construction of the chancel arch is also unusual as the centrepiece is a wooden block rather than a stone. The old church is now a listed building and has been maintained by the National Museum of Denmark.