Even though Hamlet was a figment of Shakespeare’s imagination, the castle he hailed from wasn’t. Named Kronborg Castle, the Renaissance palace is in the picturesque little town of Helsingor (anglicized to ‘Elsinore’), about 25 kilometers away from Copenhagen. That makes it the perfect day trip for visitors to the Danish capital—and not only because of Shakespeare.
Kronborg Castle, the real-life setting for Shakespeare’s Hamlet
Private Chamber in castle
Ballroom
Moore Sculpture
Helsingor Street
Inside Helsignor City Hall
Church of St. Mary
City Hall
Perched high above the Baltic Sea where the straits between Denmark and Sweden are at their narrowest, Kronborg was a strategic source of power and revenue for Danish kings. When Frederik II built it in 1559, he exacted a toll for all ships navigating through those waters. Today’s visitors to the town can walk its cobbled streets and easily imagine what life was like centuries ago. There’s an old Carmelite monastery to explore, shops and cafes, and of course, the remarkable castle with its climbable tower, maritime museum, royal apartments, moats, cannons and sea views. Best of all, Helsingor offers the perfect opportunity to see what a real Danish seaside town looks like: red-tiled roofs, brightly painted stucco homes, and charming downtown shops and cafes.
The imposing castle is perched high on a spit of land that juts into the sea. It dominates the skyline and is surrounded by moats and cannons. Inside, the castle feels very much Scandinavian, with a sober ambience that relies more on scale than sumptuousness. That’s not to say it’s plain. Ceilings are arched and display decorative frescoes, often depicting former monarchs and historical scenes. Both walls and ceilings are adorned with colorful painted motifs, mostly nautical, like shells, waves and mermaids. Many rooms display elaborate and massive tapestries that depict kings and other images of Danish heritage.
Especially impressive is the ballroom, a 62-meter long hall, reputedly the largest in Northern Europe. The grandeur of gatherings in this very hall was so widely known that word of it traveled back to England, where the northern outpost captured Shakespeare’s imagination and caused Helsingor (Elsinore) to become the setting for his famous Danish prince. During feasts, no fewer than 25 courses were served, and guests spent the better part of the day (and night) at table eating. It was common for ladies to carry around a goose feather to induce vomiting to make room for the rest of the meal. And in another bit of trivia, we learned that today’s lowly lemon was considered the epitome of elegance at these feasts, since it was a rarity in these northern climes.
To keep warm during Danish winters, women wore fur under their gowns and the nobility had human bed-warmers, people who would lie in the beds first to generate some body heat between the sheets. In addition, bedrooms were quite small, the better to heat them in this wintry seaside outpost. After touring the royal apartments, we visited the National Maritime Museum, also housed in the castle. The display of artifacts emphasizes just how much the sea and nautical dominance shaped the history of this region. It includes old wooden mastheads shaped like women, saints and other would-be protectors of sailing vessels, as well as wonderful models of famous ships. A section on Greenland explains the history of that island, which was part of Denmark for nearly 200 years.
In the crisp cool Danish weather (even in August!), nothing is nicer than a patio lunch at one of the town’s cafes. We stopped for the traditional ‘smorrebrod,’ a large platter with some combination of meatball, chicken or fried fish and black bread, a bit of salad, boiled potatoes and peas for about $15 to $20. Danes usually add a mug of Carlsberg or Tuborg to it.
Then it was off to see The Church of St. Mary, a quadrangle of red brick buildings that includes the Monastery of Our Lady, one of the few preserved monasteries in Denmark. The late medieval complex dates to 1430 and with its beautiful gardens and inner courtyard, it’s easy to imagine lives dedicated to holy contemplation here.
Nearby St. Olaf’s Church, built in the same dark-brick, tall-spired style, offers a fascinating history of the city in the pictorial monuments that line its nave. Most impressive is the 12-meter high altarpiece, carved of oak in 1664 and depicting Biblical scenes. As we examined its richly decorated interior, we were struck by the generosity of congregants, who funded everything from the altarpiece gilding to the massive chandelier (donated by the Guild of Pall Bearers) and font (donated in 1579 by a former mayor). St. Olaf’s was actually founded in 1200 as a Romanesque village church, and its distinctive crenellated tower was added in the early 15th century. The pulpit dates to 1567, making it among the oldest in Denmark.
On the way back to Copenhagen, don’t miss the renowned modern art museum, Louisiana, founded by Knud Jensen in 1958 as a showcase for Danish art. Commemorating the art patron’s three wives (each named Louise), this collection and the way it is displayed distinguishes it as one of the most remarkable museums anywhere. Going well beyond its original mission, today Louisiana displays works by Picasso, Giacometti, Warhol, Rauschenberg, and many others in the unique setting of Jensen’s sprawling, modernist home. Best of all, the museum is set in the countryside, overlooking the sea, with plenty of green space for its impressive sculptures by Moore, Calder, Ernst, Arp and Dubuffet. Which makes it the perfect setting for contemplating whether to be or not to be—or for just being glad you visited Helsingor.
