Denmark. By Train to Hamlet’s Castle
I’d never heard of Kronborg (aka Hamlet’s) Castle before planning my first trip to Denmark. I’m an ardent fan of all things Shakespeare, so I reserved a full day excursion to visit the castle. Kronborg Castle is located at the extreme northeast corner of Denmark’s Zealand Island and about 45 kilometers north of Copenhagen. Built by King Eric VII (Eric of Pomerania) in the 1420s, Kronborg began as a Medieval fortress used to control access to the Baltic Sea. Strategically located where the Øresund Sound that separates Sweeden and Denmark is just four kilometers wide, the fort helped project Denmark’s military and economic power with all ships entering or leaving the Baltic being required to pay a toll.
During the late 16th century, the medieval fort was significantly upgraded and renamed Kronborg Castle. The Swedes occupied the castle for a brief period during the Dano-Swedish War (1658-1660) and during the 18th and 19th centuries, Kronborg served as a prison. In 1938, the castle and its grounds were opened to the public.
My companion and I departed Copenhagen for the 45-minute train ride to the Danish town of Helsinger. Disembarking, we took a short walk to reach the castle’s entrance. Constructed with supporting bastions and ramparts, the castle’s curtain wall was a formidable barrier and surrounded by a line of cannons. Inside are stately buildings topped with green copper Baroque spires.
We crossed the moat and into the castle’s interior grounds. Inside the main building, we passed interpretive signs in both English and Danish. The interior tour included the King’s Chamber, one of several royal apartments on the first and second floors of the north wing. Used for parties and important meetings, the chamber had a bay window that enabled the king to keep an eye on arriving guests. Regrettably, the original furnishings of the royal apartments were destroyed in a fire. The castle’s ballroom measures 62 meters in length, making it the longest in Scandinavia. Near the kitchen is a door leading underground to catacombs and the impressive statue of Holger the Dane.
A legend says that should Denmark ever need him, Holger will break free from his rock throne.
But the most beautiful sight of all is old Kronborg, and in a deep, dark cellar beneath it, where no one ever goes, sleeps Holger Danske. He is clad in iron and steel and rests his head on his strange arms; his long beard hangs down over the marble table and has grown through it. He sleeps and dreams, and in his dreams, he sees all that happens here in Denmark. Every Christmas Eve one of God’s angels comes to him and tells him that what he had dreamed is true; he may sleep again, for no real peril threatens Denmark. But should real danger come, old Holger Danske will rise in his fury, and the table itself will burst as he wrenches his beard from it, and the mighty blows he strikes for Denmark will be heard throughout the world.
HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
The castle may be best known as Elsinore in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The BBC movie with the same name starring Christopher Plummer was filmed at Kronsborg Castle in 1963. It is not known if Shakespeare ever visited the castle.
