North of Copenhagen is Elsinore – and Denmark’s third UNESCO World Heritage site, Kronborg Castle.
This is the home of Hamlet, the mythical prince of Denmark. (The town’s Danish name is Helsingør, but Elsinore sounds so much more romantic, doesn’t it?)
Kronborg Castle is interesting enough in its own right, even without any references to Shakespeare’s mad protagonist. It’s from an era when Denmark was one of the great powers in Europe.
Built as a naval fortress to guard the entrance to the Baltic Sea, King Fredrik II converted Kronborg into a fantastic renaissance palace. And since the Queen, the lovely (and might I add, beautifully named) Sophie, loved to dance, this royal summer house sported northern Europe’s largest ball room. Must have been a fun place to hang out in the 1500s.
The girls and I explore the royal apartments, surprisingly modestly decorated. Well… perhaps it isn’t so surprising. We are in Scandinavia after all, not France. Some saucy paintings decorate the otherwise stark castle walls:
Outside are moats and drawbridges. I half expect to see the dead Ophelia floating in the moat. Over by the swans there, perhaps? Or even see Hamlet’s ghost, or that of his father, brutally murdered by his wife Gertrude and his scheming brother Claudius. Dramatic stuff. But they must all be away today. Neither ghosts nor Ken Branagh or Mel Gibson roam the grounds of this magnificent castle on this warm August afternoon.
Kronborg Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Here are more UNESCO World Heritage sites around the world.
A castle could not be complete without saucy paintings.
@Travel Chica – Haha, they do seem to belong, don’t they?
Sophie the dancing queen. How I love your writing style. Are you sure Ophelia wasn’t around? Never mind the fantasies, a great castle in its own right. I think I really must go ‘north’ one of these days.
@Inka and @Renee – thanks so much for your kind words, ladies!
Yes, Elsinore is more romantic and so are castles, but aren’t they always? Great post…I always learn something wonderful and new from you, Sophie!
Beautiful! I can’t wait to be in Europe in less than three weeks so we can see castles again =)
I really like going up to Helsingør, and maybe take the boat over to Sweden. Often stop at Kronborg and stroll around the place. A good place for the imagination.
Lovely…but does it have a dungeon?
Was there really no ghostly feeling there? Bah – what a disappointment.
Great post, though.
Very interesting. I haven’t been to this castle but it is calling to me. Moats and drawbridges, what could be better?
Looks nice – I’ve always wanted to go to Copenhagen, and Denmark in general.
Well I’ll say this – I knew I recognized that photo! Interesting history of this castle though!