World Heritage Photos

Kronborg Castle: Around 1425 Krogen Castle was built on a small point along the coast. In 1574-1585, the castle was rebuilt into a Renaissance castle and named Kronborg. Kronborg Castle is situated at the narrowest point of the Øresund, the sound between Denmark and Sweden, and the entrance to the Baltic Sea. Kronborg Castle is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. Kronborg was not only a royal residence but also a toll castle, passing ships had to pay the Øresund Toll. The Sound Toll Registers are kept in the Danish National Archives in Copenhagen, the Sound Toll Registers were inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. Kronborg Castle is famous worldwide from William Shakespeare's Hamlet. Kronborg Castle is situated close to Helsingør, known as 'Elsinore' in Hamlet. William Shakespeare wrote his famous tragedy about Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, around 1600 and set the play at Kronborg Castle. Other World Heritage Sites located near Kronborg Castle: Stevns Klint about 105 km to the south; Roskilde Cathedral about 69 km to the southwest; Jægersborg Dyrehave about 38 km to the south. Kronborg Castle gained the status as a UNESCO World Heritage in 2000.

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1. 

   Kronborg Castle is situated in Helsingør, a town about 45 km north of Copenhagen in Denmark. The castle is located in a vital position at the Øresund, the narrow sound between Denmark and Sweden. Ships passing into the Baltic Sea paid high tolls at the castle. Kronborg Castle is one of the most outstanding Renaissance castles in Europe. The castle is one of the top attractions of Denmark. Kronborg Castle was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000.

2. 

   Kronborg Castle is a star fortress and is surrounded by a deep water-filled moat. The bastions were built to defend the fortifications from several directions. The castle is the fictional setting for Shakespeare's Hamlet. In Hamlet, Shakespeare called Kronborg Castle 'Elsinore', the English name for the Danish town Helsingør, where Kronborg Castle is located. Shakespeare's tragedy of Hamlet was based on Danish medieval sources.

3. 

   Kronborg Castle is situated on a peninsula at the narrowest point of the Øresund, the sound between the Baltic Sea and the Kattegat Sound. Kronborg Castle is well-known worldwide from Shakespeare's Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. William Shakespeare wrote his tragedy about Hamlet around 1600 and set the play at Kronborg Castle near Helsingør, the town known as 'Elsinore' in Hamlet. If Shakespeare ever visited Kronborg Castle is a mystery.

4. 

   The Dark Gate viewed from the forecourt of Kronborg Castle, in the gate is a reconstruction of a slave's cell. From the 17th to the mid-19th century, criminals could be convicted to hard labor at the fortifications of Kronborg Castle. In Kronborg's Slavery was room for forty-seven slaves, but sometimes there were much more inmates. The criminals were sentenced for offences, such as theft, fraud, vagrancy, counterfeiting. The punishment could be for a specified period or for life.

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   Kronborg Castle is surrounded by a deep moat. The way into the castle passes through the Dark Gate, a dark and long tunnel-like passage leading to the forecourt, the Four-Gate Courtyard and the main gate. During the Dano-Swedish War, Kronborg Castle was captured by Swedish troops in 1658. After the war, it was evident that the fortifications of Kronborg had to be strengthened, the moat and crownwork were constructed in 1688-1690.

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   The Dark Gate of Kronborg Castle and the deep moat. Around 1425, Krogen Castle was built on a stratecic point along the Øresund. The star fortress was rebuilt into a Renaissance castle in the period 1574-1585 and named Kronborg. The bastions of Kronborg Castle were designed in such a way that the troops could defend the bridge over the moat from several directions. Kronborg Castle was declared a UNESCO World Heritage in 2000.

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   The Queen's Tower of Kronborg Castle now houses a lighthouse. The lighthouse is situated in the northeastern tower of Kronborg Castle. In 1772, the first light source in the tower consisted of three oil lamps, placed in a window. The present lantern was built in 1878. Kronborg Castle is situated at the narrowest point of the Øresund, the sound between Denmark and Sweden, and the entrance to the Baltic Sea. 

8. 

   Kronborg Castle: The vaulted cellars and casemates (kasematterne) below the castle were built in 1574-1576. The casemates have protected soldiers in times of war. The soldiers were able to barricade themselves inside the casemates for weeks, there were provisions to feed over 1000 men for up to six weeks. There was also room for horses. In the casemates beneath Kronborg Castle stands the statue of Holger Danske, a mythical Danish hero and knight of Charlemagne.

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   Kronborg Castle: A detail of the artfully sculpted and gilded pews of the castle chapel. The pew on the left gallery was reserved for the Royal Family of Denmark. The castle chapel is located on the ground floor of Kronborg. It was consecrated in 1582. The castle was severily damaged by a fire in 1629 and reconstructed in the Renaissance style, Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. 

10. 

    Kronborg Castle: The chapel of the castle was not destroyed by the fire in 1629. Kronborg Castle houses collections of Renaissance and Baroque interiors. Among the most important rooms are the imposing 62 metres long ballroom, the largest of its kind in Northern Europe, and the castle chapel. Kronborg Castle was bombarded and captured by Swedish troops in 1658, many works of art were taken to Sweden as war booty.

11. 

    Kronborg Castle: The guns of Kronborg Castle overlooking the Øresund and facing the coast of Sweden, only four km to the east. The castle was built to dominate the Øresund. In its heyday, Kronburg Castle was a giant statement of military power. The seventeen broze guns were cast between 1766 and 1769 in the Danish town of Frederiksværk. The guns were modernised when they were about hunderd years old.

12. 

    Kronborg Castle is located in Helsingør, it was once one of the most important towns in Europe. Helsingør is situated on the Danish island of Zealand, about 45 km north of Copenhagen. In the course of time, the castle was damaged and plundered several times. Kronborg was converted into army barracks in 1785. The army left in 1923. After a long period of renovations, the castle regained its former beauty. Kronborg Castle was opened to the public in 1938.