Shakespeare probably never visited Kronborg Castle and Hamlet was never a king! But Kronborg has become famous as Hamlet's Elsinore Castle in the town of Helsingor. We took the free tour that came with the price of admission, a rarity for us, but it was a gas - our guide could do stand-up in his free time. He was full of gross stories of life in the castle. Maybe something was rotten in the state of Denmark. The castle is guarded by Holger the Dane, a creation of none other than Hans Christain Andersen, and Holger's statue guards the entrance to the dark, dank casemates.
Holger the Dane
Kronborg has its own real history, too. It was more of a fortress than a castle, built to enforce the collection of tolls from cargo ships traveling the straits. Although Sweden sits across the water today, it was all Norway back then. When the tolls stopped and Sweden took Norway away from Sweden, things went downhill. Frederick II died and was followed by Charles IV who left his C4 symbol around the castle before bankrupting the country. And so it goes. To make matters worse much of the castle (as castles are wont to do) burned.
