Calle and his Rose – the couple behind Bornholm Hotels
Carl Edvard Mogensen, known simply as “Calle”, was born on Bornholm in 1923. He trained as a draper in one of Rønne's leading shops. In the late 1950s, Calle realised that agriculture was about to undergo major mechanisation. Shortly after completing his apprenticeship, he therefore travelled to Zealand to sell milking machines. Calle had seen the future correctly, and sales quickly took off. This was partly because the market was growing, but also because Calle was a skilled, hardworking and service-minded salesman. However, Bornholm and the world of textiles soon drew Calle back to the island. It was here that he met the love of his life – quite literally – when Rosemarie Kofoed became his wife.
Hotel Ryttergården
Rose and Carl Edvard established a draper's shop together in Rønne, which went on to become one of Bornholm's leading shops. But another idea had begun to take shape. Business travellers who sold textiles to the shop complained that the hotels on Bornholm did not have private bathrooms in their rooms. At the time, the island's hotels saw no need for such “modern nonsense”. Despite scepticism from competitors and banks, Rose and Calle bought a beautiful natural site on Strandvejen in Rønne. In 1966, they opened Hotel Ryttergården.
The first building had 21 hotel rooms and quickly became popular with both business travellers and holidaymakers visiting Bornholm. Rose and Calle reinvested the profits, expanding Hotel Ryttergården in 1969, 1970, 1973, 1986 and 1992.
Trotter horses
The name “Hotel Ryttergården” was inspired by Calle and Rose's love of horses. Calle played a role in establishing Bornholm's trotting track, where he was the leading winning driver for several years and became Bornholm champion several times. Horses grazed in the large fields surrounding the original hotel buildings, and many children from Rønne learned to ride the horses kept in the stables at Hotel Ryttergården. Today, Bornholm's Trotting Track honours Calle by naming its biggest annual race after him: Calles Cup.
The Carl Edvard Mogensen Foundation
In 2013, Calle and Rose handed over their life's work, Hotel Ryttergården, to the Carl Edvard Mogensen Foundation. The foundation's purpose is to support the development of Bornholm, including the transformation of Hotel Ryttergården into a modern hotel and conference centre. Together with Managing Director Trine Richter, Rose and Carl Edvard created Green Solution House. The project was considered so pioneering within the European hotel and conference industry that Crown Prince Frederik travelled to Bornholm to officially open Green Solution House in 2015.
Among local Bornholmers, Green Solution House soon became known simply as Hotel GSH. With the creation of Hotel GSH, Calle had fulfilled one of his professional dreams: to give Bornholm a modern conference centre. Hotel GSH has received the EU Environmental Award for its operations and construction, as well as the Building of the Year award. In 2021, The Guardian selected Hotel GSH as one of its 10 of the best eco-friendly places to stay in Europe. Calle had once again anticipated the direction of the future: the way we build and operate hotels matters.
Calles' second great dream
Calle had another great dream: to bring Rønne's two other major hotels, Griffen Spahotel and Fredensborg Badehotel, together in one group, making it possible to develop each hotel around the needs of its guests:
- Hotel GSH – with a focus on conferences and meetings
- Griffen Spahotel – a welcoming wellness hotel beautifully located by the marina
- Fredensborg Badehotel – a modern seaside hotel with a classic badehotel atmosphere and stunning sea views
In 2019, this dream also became a reality when the C.E. Mogensen Foundation acquired Griffen Spahotel and Fredensborg Badehotel. Together with Hotel GSH, the three hotels became the hotel group Bornholm Hotels.
Carl Edvard Mogensen passed away in June 2019 at the age of 95. He remained active and engaged until the end and continued to be a valued sounding board for the management of Bornholm Hotels. May his memory be honoured.
Profits are reinvested
Rosemarie Kofoed remains a member of the board of the C.E. Mogensen Foundation and continues to take an active interest in ensuring that Calle's wish to keep developing tourism on Bornholm lives on through new initiatives. The latest major development came in 2022, when a new accommodation wing was added to Hotel GSH. Once again, the building introduced new approaches, including the use of reclaimed timber as a construction material.
The C.E. Mogensen Foundation's purpose is to continue developing tourism on Bornholm. All profits are therefore reinvested in the three hotels, allowing them to continually improve the dining, meeting and accommodation experiences they offer guests on Bornholm.
Would you like to see and experience what Calle and Rose created? Visit the three hotels and discover Bornholm Hotels for yourself.
