Kronborg Things to Do

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A quick look of Helsingor on our way to the castle and back, revealed a busy harbor, with some preserved buildings, embellishing the face of a town deeply dependent of its main attraction – the castle.

Does it have more? Maybe, but we didn't see it.

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The construction of Elsinore Cathedral was finished in 1559. The oldest part dating back to 1200 BC.

Elsinore Cathedral was mainly furnished in the 17th century,and with wood carvings also dated from the 17th century.

In the period of 2000-2001 the church was thoroughly restored.

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The chapel is the top point of the visit to the castle.

With its Renaissance decoration it is a festival of colors, in a style looking heavy and dense to my Latin eyes, but all of it is harmonious and respectful.

There are different tickets, according to what you wish to see, but this chapel should be your top priority.

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Kronborg Castle is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe... William Shakespeare's story of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, takes place behind the walls of the castle at Elsinore. Kronborg is therefore known throughout much of the world as Hamlet's Castle, and Elsinore as Hamlet's town.

From 1739 until the mid-19th century, Kronborg was used as a slave prison. The inmates were guarded by the soldiers billeted in the Castle. The slaves were male convicts who had been sentenced to work on the Castle's fortifications. The convicts were divided into two categories. Those with minor sentences were categorised as "honest" and were allowed to work outside the Castle walls. Those serving sentences for violence, murder, arson or the like were categorised as "dishonest" and had to serve the full sentence doing hard physical labour inside the Castle ramparts. Otherwise, they served their time under the same conditions: they all had to wear chains and spend nights in cold and damp dungeons.

Kronborg Castle in Elsinore is one of northern Europe's most important Renaissance castles. Known all over the world from Shakespeare's Hamlet, it is also the most famous castle in Denmark and is visited each year by about 200,000 Danes and tourists.

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In 1785 Kronborg was transformed into barracks that was why actually it was not kept subjects of furniture there. The museum of the Danish fleet and an exhibition, devoted to Hamlet (photos of actors played this role in various theatrical and film-statements) is opened today in its interiors.

The most beautiful rooms of the castle - the Royal chapel (1582) and the Ballroom, the biggest in Northern Europe (62m in length and 12m in width). Underground soldier's casemates are interesting: conditions of life were horrifying.

The sea museum is located now in the castle, and numerous visitors are still flown down to walk on a rampart and ancient cobblestone roads of the cozy town of Helsingor.

May-September 10.30-17.00. April-October Tuesday-Sunday 11.00-16.00,
November-March Tuesday-Sunday 11.00-15.00.

During last 200 years a lot of tourists visited Kronborg. By the end of the XVIII century there was a freakish garden with avenue and the sham tomb which has received the name of the Tomb of Hamlet.

In 1857 an enterprising local resident who received a sanction "to bring a tomb into accord with the description in the play", after insignificant reconstruction began to show it for money. Though the tomb for a long time was already closed for a review, in many tourist guidebooks "excursions on Hamlet's places" are still offer.

The 180-years tradition is alive till now to play "Hamlet" in the courtyard of Kronborg.

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In days of Shakespeare Helsingor was the second city in Denmark. Many even believed, that Helsingor is really the capital of the kingdom. The castle caused special admiration. It was mighty and unapproachable. It protected the rest and well-being of Denmark.

However, Shakespeare admitted discrepancy again, when he had named the castle Helsingor, as the city name, while the castle had another name - Kronborg. Because of it and of some other discrepancies many historians and writers believe, that the writer never was neither in Denmark, nor in Helsingor, nor in Kronborg.