on the Store Torv, the town's main square. This important building was the centre of administration in Ronne and Bornholm for many years, and the island's courthouse and jail were there.
At the end of World War II, on 7 and 8 May 1945, the town was bombed by Soviet aircraft when the commandant of the German occupying forces refused to surrender. Although the rest of Denmark had been liberated on 4 May, the Russians occupied Bornholm on 9 May, sending the Germans back to Germany. The Russians did not leave until 5 April 1946 when an agreement was reached with the Danish authorities and the island finally came under Danish rule once more.
Most of the houses in Ronne were damaged by the bombs and it took several years to rebuild the town, retaining its traditional architecture, quaint streets and half-timbered houses. The Swedes contributed 300 timber houses to the town while the rest of Denmark including Greenland and the Faroes raised the considerable sum of 8 million Danish crowns to help rebuild the town
