Kronborg Castle
Category: Art & Architecture
Location: Elsinore, Denmark
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy”
It’s unexpected that one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays takes place in a Danish castle on the east coast, but at time of Shakespeare’s lifetime, Elsinore (or Helsingør in Danish) was an important military location, the stronghold from which the King of Denmark controlled the Sound through which all traffic to and from the Baltic Sea had to pass.
Here, the Sound is only four kilometres wide, which means that the castle had tremendous geopolitical significance, as ships had to pay “sound dues” to pass through.
Originally a middle age-fortress, Kronborg was rebuilt into a magnificent castle between 1574 and 1585. Only a few years later, in 1629, much of the castle was destroyed in a fire, and in 1658, it was besieged by the Swedes, who occupied parts of Denmark while stealing many of its most valuable art treasures.
The castle was expensively decorated, with the northeast corner containing the king’s residence and the southwestern corner containing a large, arched banquet hall. The Queen’s Gallery allowed the Queen passage from her chambers in the north wing to the gigantic ballroom in the south wing. This ballroom was the largest hall in northern Europe when it was completed in 1582, and today the walls are hung with a series of paintings from the early 1600s.
In the Little Hall, seven tapestries have survived from a series of originally forty, portraying one hundred Danish kings.
The two most significant masterpieces in this collection are “Tapestry depicting Oluf” (1376–1387) and “Tapestry depicting Knud VI” (1182–1202).
In 1590, James VI of Scotland stayed in the castle, following his marriage to Anne of Denmark. The castle that the royal couple stayed in would have been lavishly decorated by king Fredrick II, around 1579.
This would also explain how Shakespeare came to hear about the castle, which was a perfect fit with the story of Hamlet as the play is based on a Norse legend on the rise and fall of the great rules of Denmark, including the tale of “Amleth”, which Shakespeare turned into “Hamlet”.
The play is regularly played at the castle, with the title role being played by actors such as Christopher Plummer, Laurence Olivier and Jude Law.
During the Swedish siege, many parts of the castle were stolen or destroyed. After the war, the defences were strengthened significantly, and for the following centuries, Kronborg was considered to be the strongest fortress in all of Europe. However, the royal family decided not to return, and the castle was eventually turned into a prison.
Visiting today, the castle remains a symbol of the complicated and often strained relationship between the Nordic countries, while also – through the refined style of northern baroque that marks the buildings – showcasing the rich aesthetic history and influence of Denmark.
