Kronborg, the castle of Hamlet

Magnificent and impressive events with theatre, fireworks and tournaments took place at the old, medieval castle, Krogen, which after a major refurbishment stood out as a splendid renaissance castle in red brick and adorned with sandstone decorations in so called Dutch style. Even the name was modernized and from 1577 it was changed into Kronborg.

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is inextricably bound up with the Castle Kronborg and thus Elsinore, and often these places are merely referred to as Hamlet’s castle and town.

Most likely Shakespeare wrote Hamlet during the years 1601 – 02. Whether Shakespeare has in fact experienced Kronborg and Elsinore himself or only heard accounts through colleagues and acquaintances is still an unresolved question. His contemporaries have hardly paid attention to the link between Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Kronborg. This link was not made until much later, namely in connection with the bicentennial for his death, when the world experienced a virtual Shakespeare wave.

At the bicentennial for his death, theatre enthusiastic amateurs at the garrison of Kronborg performed Hamlet at the Castle for the first time. Almost simultaneously a Hamlet-cult commenced and established the local link to Elsinore, which flourishes to this very day.