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View of Helsingør Harbor, Helsingør, DenmarkSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Helsing%C3%B8r_Havn1.JPG
Author: Chin tin tin
Helsingør (English: Elsinore) is the town in Denmark on the narrowest part of the Øresund Strait. The town in on the northeast coast of the island of Zealand. On the other side of the strait is the town of Helsingborg in Sweden. Helsingør has a population of 46,000 (2011 estimate). The English name for the town is Elsinore, but it's best to stick with Helsingør, as you are not likely to find the English version used often.
Helsingør is perhaps best known in the English-speaking world as the site for Kronborg Slot, the setting for William Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. The late-16th century castle is today one of the town's main tourist attractions.
Helsingør, DenmarkSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Helsing%C3%B6r-1.jpg
Author: David Castor
During the medieval age, Helsingør owed its prosperity to its location at the bottleneck of the Øresund. The town's fortune rode on the tax levied on ships passing through the strait. When the tax was abolished in 1857, it caused an (albeit temporary) economic decline to the town.
Archaeological excavations reveal that the Helsingør area has been settled as early as 70 BC. The earliest mention of the town came about in 1231, when it was called Helsinger, meaning "people of the strait". There is no doubt that Helsingør has been related with its cousin across the strait, Helsingborg, right from the beginning.
The town that we know today, Helsingør, was established by the Danish king Eric of Pomerania in the 1420s. He also began the shipping tax for ships passing through the town. The very name of the strait, Øre (penny) + sund (sound), translates as "the sound of pennies", referring to the money coming into Helsingør's coffers.
Helsingør bymuseumSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Helsingoer_bymuseum.jpg
Author: René Blumensaadt
Today Helsingør has a number of historic sights worth visiting. Most of these can be explored on foot, and are listed below.
Visiting Helsingør
You can reach Helsingør by train from Copenhagen. If coming by road, take the dual-numbered Expressway E47/E55 from Copenhagen. You can also take a ferryboat from Helsingborg.
Stengade shopping street, HelsingørSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stengade_i_Helsing%C3%B6r-1.jpg
Author: David Castor
Sights & Attractions in Helsingør
- Axeltorv
The main square of Helsingør, lined with restaurants and bars today. - Helsingør Bymuseum
Originally built by the friars of the neighboring monastery to be a hospital for sailors arriving in Helsingør, this building is today a town museum, with exhibits ranging from medical instruments to model of the Kronborg castle. - Karmeliterklosteret Sankt Mariæ Kirke
The Carmelite cloister church of St. Mary was built in the Gothic style during the second half of the 15th century. It is regarded as one of the best preserved medieval monasteries in Scandinavia. - Kronborg Slot
The Castle of Elsinore was built by Erik of Pomerania in the early 15th century, and remodelled by later rulers. Shakespeare's Hamlet (and other plays) is often performed here. - Marienlyst Slot
Neo-classical manor house built in 1759-63 by remodelling the original palace building from 1587. - Sankt Olai Kirke
Originally a parish church since its founding in 1200, the St. Olai was eventually elevated to cathedral in 1961. - Stengade
The medieval quarter of Helsingør, today a pedestrian zone with charming half-timbered houses. - Øresundakvariet
This local aquarium contains not just the fish species found in the waters outside, but also tropical fish from all around the world.
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