The story of Kronborg Castle

Here, at the narrowest point of the Øresund, the sound is only 4 kilometres wide, and whoever held this tip of Zealand could watch every ship entering or leaving the Baltic. In the 1420s King Eric of Pomerania built a fortress called Krogen, the Hook, to make all passing ships pay sound dues. From 1574 to 1585, Frederick II turned it into a magnificent Renaissance castle, and it took the name Kronborg, Crown Castle.

A keen patron of theatre, he had players perform here in 1579. In 1629, a moment's carelessness by two workmen started a fire that destroyed much of the castle; only the chapel was spared, saved by its strong vaults, and Christian IV had the rest rebuilt. In 1658 the Swedes captured Kronborg and carried off many of its art treasures. Later it served as a prison and as army barracks.

Shakespeare made it immortal as Elsinore in Hamlet, and since 2000 it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List.