Tourists that travel by ferry from Denmark to Helsingborg in Sweden or vice versa, always notice a huge castle located next to the ferry port. The castle is also commonly known as "Elsinore" as the venue of William Shakespeare's "Hamlet". In 1816, on the 200th anniversary of the playwright' death, the play was staged in the castle, and since that time it is performed there regularly. By the way, for now, scientists have not managed to fully clarify whether Shakespeare visited the castle or not.
The width of the strait between Denmark and Sweden in this place is just 4 km, so Kronborg had a great strategic importance for a long time. In 2000, UNESCO has included it in the world cultural heritage list as one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe.
The Danes also have a legend about the castle. They say that somewhere in the dungeons sleeps a legendary prince Holger Danish. If Denmark is in danger, he will wake up to defend the country.
The entire area of the castle, including ramparts, interior spaces and underground dungeons, is open for tourists.
Kronborg Castle ©Yuriy Buriak
Kronborg Castle ©Yuriy Buriak
Kronborg Castle ©Thomas Rahbek, kronborgcastle.com
Kronborg Castle ©Yuriy Buriak
Getting there: The castle is located in the town of Helsingor. Regional train ride from Copenhagen takes 45 minutes. The trains leave every 20 minutes. Check out the opening hours here.
