| Registration Classification | cultural heritage |
| Registration Criteria | (4) |
| Year of registration | 2000 |
Kronborg Castle is an ancient castle on the Danish island of Sjælland, which was rebuilt in the 16th century in the Renaissance style and has played an important military role, standing in a position to monitor Sweden across the straits. And the castle is also famous as the setting for Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Here, a World Heritage enthusiast explains why Kronborg Castle is a World Heritage Site in an easy-to-understand manner.Read this and you will definitely learn more about Kronborg Castle!
What is Kronborg Castle?
The castle with the function of a fortress is located in the Öresund strait between Denmark and Sweden. It is the gateway to the Baltic Sea, and in this narrow strait of only 4 km, Denmark used Kronborg Castle to govern this strait from the 15th to 19th century.In fact, all ships passing through the strait had to pay a toll at Kronborg Castle, and this “Ehresund Strait Toll Tax Line Tax” was so important that it at one time accounted for two-thirds of Denmark’s revenue.
Around the 15th century, King Eric VII built a fort, the predecessor of Kronborg Castle, and in 1574, King Freselik II, known as the Renaissance Monarch of Denmark, rebuilt the fort in the Renaissance style and built a royal palace there. In the 17th century, a fire destroyed everything except the chapel, which was rebuilt several times, and the castle has been under the control of the Swedish army since the 18th century.
The structure of the castle is in the Renaissance style, with four buildings combined around a courtyard.Its architecture is lined with towers and spires, etc., and its beauty stands out even from a distance. In particular, the Great Hall in the castle was considered the largest room in northern Europe at the time of its construction. Kronborg Castle appears in Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet” as “Elsinore Castle,” and Hamlet plays are sometimes performed here.
For what reason is Kronborg Castle on the World Heritage List?
Kronborg Castle was recognized for the following
Registration Criteria (iv)
The point that the Kronborg Castle is a prime example of a construction made in the Renaissance style.
World Heritage Mania Conclusions and Comments
Kronborg Castle is regarded as a masterpiece of Renaissance-style castles, as it was extensively renovated by King Frederik II during the Danish Renaissance. And the reason why it was fortified so much was because it needed to be made stronger in order to take tolls.
Incidentally, although it is known as the model for Hamlet’s “Elsinore Castle,” Shakespeare did not actually visit it. Indeed, although Hamlet was a Danish prince in the play, it seems that the story was modeled solely on a Norse legend. Well, if you put it that way, “The Merchant of Venice” was not actually written after visiting the city…there is no end to the details.
The contents of this page are based on the research of a World Heritage enthusiast. As for the data, interpretation differs depending on the media.
