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Rønne is the largest town on the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. It has a population of 13,568 (1 January 2014). Once a municipality in its own right from 1970 until 2002, with an area of 29.11 square kilometres (11.24 square miles), it is now the administrative centre of the Bornholm municipality. As of 2014 between 11,000 and 12,000 inhabitants live in Rønne Parish, which is a narrow piece of land on the westernmost of the island and stretching north and southward comprising around a third of the area of the former municipality. Knudsker Parish made up the rest of the former municipality.

Owing to its natural harbour and its strategic position in the Baltic Sea, Rønne has an interesting history coming under German and Swedish influence during its development as a herring fishing port. Today, with its cobbled streets, half-timbered houses and interesting museums, it attracts visitors mainly from Denmark, Germany, Sweden and Poland.

Rønne also became famous for its longcase clocks or Bornholmerure which were manufactured from the middle of the 18th century until around 1900. Interest in clock-making started when a Dutch ship sailing from England ran aground off Rønne in 1744 carrying five grandfather clocks which were damaged in the accident. In view of the clocks' value, the sailors called on Poul Ottesen Arboe, a local turner, who was able to repair them. As a result of the experience he gained in the repair work, he was able to manufacture clocks himself, giving birth to a new local industry.

Several workshops soon began to produce Bornholm clocks which became popular as they were cheaper than the more authentic models produced elsewhere. There were probably about 30 different clockmakers in the town at the beginning of the 19th century. By the 1840s, some 2,000 clocks were made each year. Over the years, they were produced in various styles with both wooden and metal casings. The smaller pendulum clocks which were also produced became popular too. Around the end of the 19th century, production came to a halt as industrially produced clocks became far cheaper than Bornholm's handcrafted artefacts.

The town has some quaint cobbled streets and low-timbered houses. Two streets of particular interest are the Laksegade and the Storegade, which contain many historic houses which were once the homes and trade buildings of merchants and noblemen. Notable landmarks include the Bornholm Museum, the Defence Museum (Forsvarsmuseet), St Nicolas' Church, the Smedegårds riding school in the southern part of town, and the lighthouse, which was built in 1880.

The Bornholm Museum offers an insight into the history of Rønne and the island of Bornholm, from the Paleolithic era to the modern age, including the occupation during World War II. The museum houses a number of Nordic Bronze Age and Iron Age artefacts relating to the island and has a Mjolnir, discovered in Bornholm but now housed in the National Museum of Denmark, as its logo.[citation needed] It also has a notable collection of Roman coins, pottery and paintings.

St Nicolas's Church, with its distinctive tower, is part of the Diocese of Copenhagen and in its present form was enlarged and fully refurbished in 1918. It stands on the site of an earlier church or chapel from the 13th century of which some sections can still be seen. Forsvarsmuseet, or the Rønne Defence Museum, is housed in a round tower with walls 3.5 m (11 feet) thick known as Kastellet or the citadel. Built in 1744 for the town's defence, there was never any occasion for it to be used. The museum has numerous artefacts relating to military history such as guns, blades, bombs and uniforms. Store Torv, the central square, was formerly used for military parades. Several notable buildings lie in the heart of the town, including the Rønne Public Library, the Nordeabank and old merchant/noble warehouses and residences. Buildings of note include Erichsens Gård, built in 1806 and now a museum, the neo-classical Kommandantgården, built in 1846 and now a ceramics museum, and the Amtmandsgården, located at Storegade 36. The Toldboden is a merchant warehouse, built in 1624, and is one of Rønne's oldest half-timbered buildings. The Torhus building, at the side of the square, was built in 1834 and is the former town hall, courthouse and jail. Rønne Theatre built in 1823 is Denmark's oldest provincial theatre still in active use. Hovedvagten at Søndergade 12 was built as a guard house in 1744 with bricks from Hammershus which was being demolished at the time. It is the oldest brick house in the town.

Rønne Lighthouse, a slender white-painted octagonal tower in cast iron, stands on the waterfront not far from the church. Constructed in 1880, it was decommissioned in 1989.