Kronborg Castle and Elsinore Trip

Yesterday, I visited Kronborg Castle in Elsinore, Denmark with DIS.  Throughout the semester, DIS sponsors various group trips to historic sites, famous attractions, and fun activities such as cooking classes and hiking trips.  This being my first Saturday in Denmark, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to see one of the most important and most visited Renaissance castles in Northern Europe.

A group of about 60 DIS students left Copenhagen via bus early Saturday morning. Elsinore is located approximately 45 km (yes, now that I'm in Denmark I've had to adjust to using the metric system) north of Copenhagen, so we were able to take the scenic, coastal route to reach our destination.  We actually passed the stop for Horsholm (the location of my host family) on our way to Elsinore and I was able to show my friends the harbor I ate lunch at last Sunday.

                                                            The Streets of Elsinore

We had two hours to walk around Elsinore before our 1.5 hour guided castle tour. My friends and I, both SLU and new friends, explored the quaint town of Elsinore, stopping in shops and glaring at the displays of Danish pastries. Before stopping to buy a pastry and eat our packed lunches in a cafe, we wandered into a grocery store/home living store.  Since most of my friends also live with host families, we have been exchanging stories of what we have been eating and what kinds of foods our host families particularly enjoy throughout the past week.  While in the grocery store, we were able to show each other some of the food items we recognized from our host family's pantries, such as Digestive cookies (a mix between a cracker and a cookie, which sounds weird I know, but they are strangely addictive), muesli (a granola-like topping that is popular in Europe to put on yogurt for breakfast).

                    Walking across the moat to Kronborg

Our bus then drove us to the entrance of Kronborg-- the most visited castle in Denmark, partially because it is well known as the setting for William Shakespeare's "Hamlet." Being an English major and studying Shakespeare in both high school and college, I must admit I was also intrigued to visit the castle for its ties to the famous playwright.  Kronborg was built in 1425 by Eric of Pomerania, but the castle was transformed into its impressive state today in 1574 by King Frederik II.  The castle has been open to the public since 1938, after serving as military barracks for about 140 years.

Our tour guide showed us some of the most impressive rooms, including the ballroom, the chapel, the little hall, and the royal apartments.  Unlike other castles I have seen in Europe (like Neuschwanstein in Germany), the decor in Kronborg was very limited as parts of the castle were destroyed due to a fire that erupted in 1629.  The last part of the tour took us beneath the castle to see the casemates, soldiers' quarters during times of war and where prisoners' were tortured.  Also beneath the castle sits the famous statue of Holger Danske, a legendary Denmark hero who will awake from his slumber only when Denmark is in serious trouble.  As our tour guide said, however, it doesn't look like Holger Danske will awaken anytime soon, and I couldn't agree more!

                            Holger Danske

So after a long day of looking back into time and exploring the castle grounds, my host sister and I cooked spaghetti bolognese, watched Mr. and Mrs. Smith on television, and served ebelskiver for dessert.  I don't think there could have been a better way to end an excellent day!  


Vi ses snart!