My Year in Lyon: Denmark: Helsinør (Hamlet's Castle) and Fredricksborg Slot

I had a few days off between French class and the beginning of regular classes, so why not spend a few more days exploring Europe before homework and exams take over my life? Two Queen’s commerce students I lived with in Leggett Hall in first year were also on exchange in Europe, Jen (who I shared a bathroom with for a year!) to Barcelona and Jordan to Helsinki. They were visiting Copenhagen, Stockholm and Helsinki, and asked if I would like to travel with them. Traveling by yourself gives you a great deal of freedom, and it’s easier to organize where you want to go, but it is really nice to share you experiences with friends, as well as see a few familiar faces.

I ended up spending September 10-13 in Denmark, a perfect length for visiting this small country, in my opinion. I arrived a day before Jen and Jordan, so I decided to explore a few castles outside Copenhagen, within a short train ride of the city on the island of Zealand. Many cities have a tourist card you can purchase that gives you free entry into many tourist attractions and free public transport – often a good investment if you are only there for a few days and plan on visiting lots of museums. The Copenhagen Card covered about a third of Denmark, actually – so free train rides around the entire island of Zealand.

First thing in the morning I took the train up to Helsingør (Elsinore in English), at the very north end of the island. The train ride took only 45 minutes. The town is at the narrowest end of the Øresund, the straight between Sweden and Denmark. For a few hundred years Denmark was the superpower of Scandinavia, and contoled many areas of Sweden. All ships traveling east to the Baltic Sea had to pass through the Øresund, so the King of Denmark charged a “Sound Tax”, which made enough money for him to build Kronborg Slot overlooking the sea. This castle is famous as the setting of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and with the spitting rain and fog hanging over the castle it’s easy to imagine as the setting for a tragedy. The interiors are fairly austere – the castle was ransacked in one of the many Swedish invasions. The exteriors are still quite elegant, however. The cellars are a must-see: the tunnels and prison cells are a maze beneath the castle. Once the fog cleared a bit it was possible to see the outline of the Swedish town of Helsingborg.

Kronborg Slot, seen from Helsinør.

The Øresund, and castle fortifications.

Kronborg Slot.

Kronborg Slot, as seen from the Øresund. The Danish flag, the Dannebrog, is the oldest state flag still in use today.

Castle tower.

The Øresund. You can see the Swedish town of Helsingor in the distance.

The town itself is a quant mixture of shops and merchants houses, very quiet. Outside the train station are two statues of Hamlet and Ophelia.

Helsinør train station, with statues of Hamlet and Ophelia.

Café just outside the castle. I love the orange buildings!

From Helsingør I took a short train to Fredericksborg, a charming town with cobblestone streets and a beautiful park. The main attraction here is Fredericksborg Slot, a magnificent royal castle surrounded by a lake and beautiful English gardens. Built in the Renaissance style, on the outside it looks like a larger version of Rosenborg Slot in Copenhagen. The weather was much nicer in Fredericksborg, and the interiors much more opulent – a completely opposite atmosphere from the dreary Kronborg.

Fredricksborg Slot, as seen from the town.

Fredricksborg Slot.

Castle, as seen from the gardens.

The English Gardens. Lots of locals out enjoying them, biking or rollerskating.

The English Gardens and castle. You can see the town of Fredricksborg on the other side of the lake. The castle is on an island, accessible by bridge.

The castle is home to the National History Museum (lots of paintings of famous Danes), founded by the same man who founded Carlsberg Brewery! The most visually stunning room is the enormous Royal Chapel, where the Kings of Denmark were once crowned. There was almost nobody there, September is a great time to visit as the weather is still fine but you can avoid the hoards of tourists you get in the summer months.