DENMARK - Europe by Eurail 2015: Touring Europe by Train - page 111

designated walkway. A local, private railroad uses the street as a siding, and it
could be hazardous to your health.
Helsingør (sometimes referred to by its older name, “Elsingore” or Elsinore) is
one of Denmark's oldest populated places. Documents dating from 1231 record
its development. In the vaults under Kronborg Castle, there is a statue of Holger
Danske, a Viking chieftain who voyaged to the Holy Land as a crusader about
A.D. 800, and there are many buildings of ancient vintage. For example, nearby No.
27 Strandgade is the oldest half-timbered house in town. It was built in 1577. Other
structures date from the 15th century.
The lure of Shakespeare's Hamlet usually brings visitors to Helsingør. The town
has many other attractions, however, not the least of which is the world's biggest
and best ice-cream cone. Read on, Macbeth!
Local train service between Copenhagen and Helsingør runs every 20 minutes
throughout the day and is interspersed with frequent express train service. The
Helsingør railway station is the terminus for the train ferries that ply between Den-
mark and the town of Helsingborg in Sweden. The distance across the sound is
less than 3 miles. This is why Helsingør was founded there and also why it flour-
ished from 1426 through 1857 by the collection of the “sound dues” from all mer-
chant ships that passed.
If you are interested in maritime ferry operations, Helsingør is the place to ob-
serve it. Arrivals and departures take place all day and into the night.
One of the tourist office's publications is Helsingør Tourist Guide . It describes, in
great detail, Kronborg Castle, the churches of Saint Olai and Saint Mary, and the
Carmelite monastery. These highlights are all nearby.
The Kronborg Castle ( Tel: [phone]; www.ses.dk/kronborgcastle ), the city's
most famous landmark, was built by Christian IV between 1574 and 1582. Hours:
January-March and November-December: 1100-1600 Tuesday-Sunday;
April-May and September-October: 1100-1600 daily; June-August: 1000-1730
daily. Ticket prices vary depending on the tour but are generally DKK 75 for adults.
With this formidable fortress came the rapid development of the town under its pro-
tective shelter. For several centuries Helsingør was the second-largest city in Den-
mark.
Hamlet's residency in the castle was imaginary, but the play was performed
there from 1916 until 1954, when performances were curtailed for financial reas-
ons. It was again performed in 1979, but there are no definite plans for the future.
In the castle the King's Chamber, the Queen's Chamber, and the Great Hall must