Kronborg Castle in Denmark – the place of William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy Hamlet

Updated: May 18, 2020 | By | 2 Replies More
Kronborg Castle Denmark Hamlet Shakespeare

If you take the ferry from Helsingør to Helsinborg, it’s hard to miss the fortified castle of Kronborg at the coast. It became famous mainly because its corridors and rooms were used for William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet. It is known as Elsinor in Shakespeare’s tragedy. That’s why the most of tourists are from England.

The Kronborg castle has been one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. The castle was originally used to collect duties, and was later rebuilt to Renaissance castle. However it is important to note, that Renaissance means something else in Italy and something else in Scandinavia. Later the castle was used as barracks for two centuries.

You can save a tour of the interior. After the fire, there is not much remained to be seen inside. It is best to walk along the sea and the view from the ship.

Kronborg Castle has been added to UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites list in 2000.

History of Kronborg Castle

  • In 1420s the fortress, Krogen, was built by the Danish king, Eric of Pomerania.
  • In 1585 was rebuilt by Frederick II into a magnificent Renaissance castle and renamed to Kronborg.
  • In 1629 the castle was totally burned due to some mistake of two workers.
  • In 1639 the castle was restored by Christian IV, but the interior never fully regained its former glory.
  • From 1688-1690, an advanced line of defence and ramparts were built around it, which made Kronborg Castle the strongest fortress in Europe.
  • From 1739 until the 1900s, Kronborg was used as a prison.


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Category: Castles, Castles and Palaces, Denmark

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Comments (2)

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  1. strilets says:

    it’s famous place… worth to visit!

  2. Andy says:

    It seems a great place to visit. I will appriciate any visitor information.



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