Kronborg Castle and Helsingør

One of the primary goals of our sightseeing loop was a visit to Kronborg Castle. A quick and easy ferry ride from our hotel dropped us off in downtown Helsingør on the waterfront on a gloriously sunny morning.

Helsingør rose to international prominence in 1429 when King Eric of Pomerania established the Sound Dues. For over four hundred years every ship entering or leaving the Baltic Sea was required to stop and pay a toll at this narrow point. This mandatory stop turned the town into a cosmopolitan hub filled with foreign merchants and sailors which funded the construction of the grand buildings that still line the historic center today. The city’s prosperity remained tied to this maritime tax until it was abolished in 1857.

A short walk along the waterfront took us to Kronborg Castle where it stands vigil over both the city and the narrow strait of water separating Denmark and Sweden. Kronborg Castle is famously known as Elsinore in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, a fact that they play up by placing fake skulls around the castle. Rebuilt in the late 16th century it served as both a lavish royal residence and a formidable coastal fortress.

The castle is surrounded by massive moats and star shaped ramparts that once housed the most powerful cannons in Northern Europe. In the dark casemates deep below the foundations the legendary figure Holger Danske sits in stone waiting to wake and defend the Danish kingdom in times of crisis.

After touring the castle, we are lunch at Elsinor Street Food, a large and playful food hall serving up all sorts of food and drink. The urinals in the men's room were especially playful.

Following lunch, a walk around town punctuated by a visit to the The Church of Saint Marie and the adjacent Carmelite Priory. These represent some of the finest medieval architecture in Scandinavia. Founded in 1430 the priory remains one of the best preserved monastic complexes in the region.Read more