The Danish city of Helsingor is located on Oresund Sound, one of three shipping lanes that connect the Baltic Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. The sound is only a few miles wide here, which made it easy for Denmark to control - and tax - ships passing through the sound.
Helsingor was established in the early 1400s as a tax collection stop. Some of the taxes collected were used to establish Krogen Castle, which was expanded and renamed Kronborg a century later.
Fans of Shakespeare's Hamlet know Kronborg as Elsinore Castle, a variation of Helsingor and the setting of that play. Today the castle hosts a Shakespeare festival every summer.
Kronborg Castle is an outstanding example of a Renaissance castle. Visitors to Helsingor can explore the castle as well as the town's compact historic city center, even as a day trip out of Copenhagen.
The Photos (in order)
S06A1166 - View of Kronborg Castle, the basis of Elsinore Castle in William Shakespeare's Hamlet
S06A1054 - Inside Kronborg Castle, which hosts an annual Shakespeare Festival
S06A1031 - View of Helsingor's historic center from Kronborg Castle
S06A1002 - The Helsingor Custom House; built in the 1890s, it replaced the Oresund Custom House which had a role in collecting tolls and taxes from ships passing through Oresund Sound
S06A1003 - Helsingor's main square is located next to the custom house
S06A0998 - Faergestraede is the oldest street in Helsingor's historic city center
S06A0999 - Helsingor's oldest house is located along Faergestraede
S06A1009 - St. Olaf's Church, the cathedral church of Helsingor, dates back about 800 years, although the present structure was completed in the 1500s
Helsingor was established in the early 1400s as a tax collection stop. Some of the taxes collected were used to establish Krogen Castle, which was expanded and renamed Kronborg a century later.
Fans of Shakespeare's Hamlet know Kronborg as Elsinore Castle, a variation of Helsingor and the setting of that play. Today the castle hosts a Shakespeare festival every summer.
Kronborg Castle is an outstanding example of a Renaissance castle. Visitors to Helsingor can explore the castle as well as the town's compact historic city center, even as a day trip out of Copenhagen.
The Photos (in order)
S06A1166 - View of Kronborg Castle, the basis of Elsinore Castle in William Shakespeare's Hamlet
S06A1054 - Inside Kronborg Castle, which hosts an annual Shakespeare Festival
S06A1031 - View of Helsingor's historic center from Kronborg Castle
S06A1002 - The Helsingor Custom House; built in the 1890s, it replaced the Oresund Custom House which had a role in collecting tolls and taxes from ships passing through Oresund Sound
S06A1003 - Helsingor's main square is located next to the custom house
S06A0998 - Faergestraede is the oldest street in Helsingor's historic city center
S06A0999 - Helsingor's oldest house is located along Faergestraede
S06A1009 - St. Olaf's Church, the cathedral church of Helsingor, dates back about 800 years, although the present structure was completed in the 1500s
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