Kronborg facts for kids
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
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| Location | Helsingør, Denmark |
| Criteria | Cultural: iv |
| Inscription | 2000 (24th Session) |
Kronborg is a famous castle and stronghold in Helsingør, Denmark. It's known as Elsinore in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. Because of its history and beauty, it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000.
The castle sits on the very tip of the island of Zealand. This spot is the narrowest part of the Øresund, a strait between Denmark and Sweden. The strait is only about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) wide here. This made Kronborg a super important place to control ships entering or leaving the Baltic Sea.
The castle's story began with an older fortress called Krogen, built in the 1420s by King Eric VII. It worked with another fortress, Kärnan, on the Swedish side of the strait. Together, they controlled the sea entrance. Later, from 1574 to 1585, King Frederick II completely changed the old fortress into a grand Renaissance castle.
In 1629, a big fire destroyed much of the castle. But King Christian IV quickly had it rebuilt. The castle also has its own church inside. In 1658, the Swedes attacked and captured Kronborg. They took many valuable art treasures. In 1785, the castle stopped being a royal home and became army barracks. The army left in 1923, and after a big makeover, it opened to the public.
History of Kronborg Castle
The First Fortress: Krogen
The story of Kronborg Castle starts with a fortress called Krogen, which means "the Hook." It was built in the early 1400s by the Danish king, Eric of Pomerania. This king made all ships pay a special fee, called "sound dues," to pass through the Øresund strait. To make sure ships paid, he built a strong fortress at the narrowest point.
At that time, Denmark owned land on both sides of the strait. On the eastern side, Helsingborg Castle had been there for a long time. With both castles and guard ships, Denmark could control all the ships sailing through the Sound.
Krogen was built on a sandy piece of land that reached into the sea. It had a square outer wall with stone buildings inside. The king's home was in the northeast corner. A large hall for banquets was in the southwest. A chapel might have been in the southeast corner. Many parts of Krogen's original walls are still part of Kronborg Castle today.
Frederick II Builds Kronborg
Over time, weapons like cannons became much stronger. It became clear that the old Krogen fortress needed to be updated. After a war ended in 1570, King Frederick II began adding new, stronger walls and towers. The main architect was Hans Hendrik van Paesschen. These new defenses were finished in 1577. After this, the castle got its new name: Kronborg, which means "Crown Castle."
The castle itself was rebuilt from 1574 to 1585. The separate buildings of Krogen were joined together into three connected sections. The north section had rooms for the king, queen, and their helpers. In the south section, the old medieval building became a modern chapel. King Frederick loved theater, and plays were performed at the castle when he was there in 1579.
At first, the castle was only two stories high. But in 1578, a new architect named Anthonis van Obbergen took over. He made Kronborg even bigger and more grand. The south section was made one story taller, and a huge ballroom was built above the chapel. Soon, the west and north sections were also made taller. Finally, the east section was also raised, adding a hallway called "The Queen's Gallery." This allowed the Queen to walk comfortably from her rooms to the ballroom. The outside walls were covered with sandstone, and the new castle got a shiny copper roof.
The Great Fire of 1629
In 1629, a small mistake by two workers caused a huge fire. Much of the castle burned down on the night of September 24-25. Only the chapel was saved because of its strong arched ceiling. King Christian IV worked hard to restore the castle. By 1631, the rebuilding was underway, led by architect Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger. By 1639, the outside of the castle looked magnificent again, just as the king wanted. However, the inside never quite got back its original fancy look. Still, some parts were updated with new doors, fireplaces, and ceiling paintings in the Baroque style.
Swedish Attack in 1658
During the war between Denmark and Sweden (1658–1660), Kronborg was attacked and captured by the Swedish army. The Swedish queen, Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, and the king's sister lived at Kronborg during this time.
When the Swedes took over, they removed many of Kronborg's most valuable artworks. This included a fancy fountain in the castle courtyard and many large ceiling paintings from the ballroom.
Kronborg as a Military Base and Prison
The Swedish capture of Kronborg in 1658 showed that the castle was not as strong as people thought. After that, its defenses were made much stronger. From 1688 to 1690, a new line of defense was added. Soon after, new protective walls were built around it. Once these were finished, Kronborg was thought to be the strongest fortress in Europe.
From 1739 until the 1900s, Kronborg was used as a prison. Soldiers living in the castle guarded the prisoners. The prisoners had to work on the castle's defenses. Some prisoners, who had committed less serious offenses, were allowed to work outside the castle walls. Those with more serious crimes had to do hard physical labor inside the castle walls. They all had to wear chains and spend nights in cold, damp dungeons. From January to April 1772, Queen Caroline Mathilde, sister of King George III, was imprisoned at Kronborg after a scandal.
As Kronborg became less important as a royal home, the military played a bigger role. From 1785 to 1922, the army completely managed the castle. During this time, many parts of the castle were repaired and updated.
Sound Dues and Modern History
The captain of every ship sailing through the strait had to tell the value of their ship's cargo. A fee, called "Sound Dues," was then calculated based on this value and paid to the King of Denmark. The king had the right to buy the cargo for the price the captain stated. This rule stopped captains from saying their cargo was worth too little. The Royal Danish Army left the castle in 1923. After a big renovation, Kronborg Castle opened to the public in 1938.
Kronborg Castle Today
Kronborg Castle is located at the very tip of the island of Zealand. It's just northeast of the old town of Helsingør. The castle sits on a small piece of land that sticks out into the narrowest part of the Øresund strait. This strait is between the Danish island of Zealand and the Swedish region of Scania. To get to the castle from the town, you pass through several moats and gates.
The Royal Apartments
The royal apartments are on the first floor of the north wing. Frederick II first decorated these rooms around 1576. After the 1629 fire, Christian IV had them redecorated with beautiful ceiling paintings, stone doorways, and fireplaces. Today, the rooms have furniture from the 1600s.
The King's Chamber has a special window right above the castle's main entrance. From here, the king could watch guests arrive. The Queen's Chamber has a tower room that looks out over one of the castle's bastions.
The Grand Ballroom
When it was finished in 1582, the Ballroom was the largest hall in Northern Europe. It measures 62 meters (203 feet) long and 12 meters (39 feet) wide. The walls are covered with large paintings. These paintings were originally made for another castle in Copenhagen. They show scenes like children going to school, people riding horses, and a wedding. The current floor and fireplaces were added during the rebuilding in 1924–38.
The Little Hall
The walls of the Little Hall are decorated with seven special tapestries. These tapestries were part of a larger series of forty that showed one hundred Danish kings. They were ordered by Frederick II around 1580. Seven more tapestries are at the National Museum of Denmark, but the rest have been lost over time.
The Chapel
The chapel is on the ground floor of the south wing and was opened in 1582. In 1785, when the castle became army barracks, the chapel was turned into a gym and fencing hall, and its furniture was put away. The chapel was refurnished with its original items in 1838 and reopened in 1843.
Cultural Importance
Kronborg and Hamlet
Kronborg Castle is famous for being the setting of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. In the play, the castle is called "Elsinore," which is the English name for the nearby town of Helsingør. The play Hamlet was first performed at the castle to celebrate 200 years since Shakespeare's death. Soldiers from the castle's army unit were the actors!
Since then, the play has been performed many times in the castle courtyard and on its walls. Famous actors like Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, and Jude Law have played Hamlet at Kronborg.
The Legend of Ogier the Dane
There's a cool legend about a Danish hero named Ogier the Dane (in Danish, Holger Danske). The story says he was taken to a magical island called Avalon. Ogier returned to save France from danger, and then traveled to Kronborg Castle. He now sleeps deep inside the castle, waiting to wake up and save Denmark if his homeland ever needs him. His beard has grown so long it reaches the ground! You can see a statue of the sleeping Ogier in the castle's underground rooms, called casemates.
Culture Harbour Kronborg
Kulturhavn Kronborg is a project started in 2013. It aims to offer many different cultural experiences for people living in and visiting Helsingør. It's a team effort between Kronborg Castle, the Danish Maritime Museum, Kulturværftet (a cultural center), and Helsingør harbor.
Other Mentions
The castle was also the setting for a Danish TV holiday series called Jul på Kronborg (Christmas at Kronborg). This show featured both Hamlet and Holger the Dane. Also, "Elsinore Beer" is named after the castle in the 1983 comedy movie Strange Brew.
See also
- Kronborg Glacier
- List of castles and palaces in Denmark
- Tourism in Denmark
