Flag of Bornholm
unofficial flag used in the Danish island of Bornholm
The flag of Bornholm is the unofficial flag of the Danish island Bornholm, seen as a de facto symbol of the municipality. It was designed in the mid-1970s by local painter Bent Kaas, and is the flag of Bornholm most commonly used on the island. It is the Danish flag, but with a green Nordic cross in the centre instead of white. The green is said to symbolize the natural greenery of the island. The other variant resembles Norway's flag, except replacing the blue inner cross with green.
The flag has no known historical foundation. Its uses are primarily: In a tourism context on various products (which are not normally produced on Bornholm); by military units while on exercise in Denmark and on foreign missions; and by mainly German sailors visiting Bornholm. Despite its general appreciation, the flag is not officially recognized, though many people still use it, for example on vehicles.
While there is no official flag for Bornholm, the Bornholm Municipality, the former County of Bornholm, as well as the now defunct Danish regiment - the Bornholms Værn - had a coat of arms. It showed a depiction of a golden sea serpent, which can also be called a griffin, or a cockatrice against a red background.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Flag of Bornholm” as unofficial flag used in the Danish island of Bornholm. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as unofficial flag used in the Danish island of Bornholm. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 4, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1426387. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Flag of Bornholm”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Flag of Bornholm primary sources, Flag of Bornholm archive and Flag research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Flag of Bornholm”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Flag of Bornholm” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.