Kronborg Castle

One of the must see attractions in Denmark is Kronborg Castle. It's located in Helsingor, which is about  30 miles north of Copenhagen. Kronborg Castle is most famous for being the setting of Shakespeare's Hamlet. If you don't remember from high school, Hamlet was Prince of Denmark. Although no one knows for sure if Shakespeare ever visited Kronborg, it is known that actors from the Globe Theatre in London performed at Kronborg a few years before Hamlet was written.

When my mom was here last week, we went to Kronborg. It was a cold and windy day, but worth it. We both really enjoyed our time at Kronborg. The castle, both inside and out, are quite remarkable. 

The castle is square, built around a courtyard. The picture above is taken from the inside of the courtyard. There used to be a ten meter high fountain in the middle, but the Swedes dismantled it, stole it, and melted it into cannon balls which they fired at the Danes. 

Kronborg has a strategic location. It is less than 5 km from Sweden: in the picture above, behind the ship, you can see the Swedish coast. Over time there have been a number of conflicts with Sweden fought at Kronborg. Additionally, Kronborg was a revenue source for the Danish monarchy because they taxed passing ships. 

Inside the castle we could see the royal chapel (pictured above), the royal apartments, and the casemates. The casemates were the underground portion of the castle which for many years housed a large number of "soldiers," who were essentially kept there by the king to cause confusion and be a decoy in case the castle was attacked. I had been told to bring a flashlight for exploring the casemates, which was good advice because they are very dark. However, there was also a flashlight vending machine (see below) at the entrance of the casemates for people who did not come prepared.

If you're ever in Denmark, be sure to visit Kronborg. It was a highlight!