The thrilling history of the city

The Sound Dues This also explains why the The beautiful, Elsinore has a long and thrilling history - quite different from any building has been decorated old timber other Danish provincial town. We can thank Erik of Pommerania with the names of Frederik II frame houses for this. In the 1420’s he decided that ships passing through the and Queen Sophie. In the yard Sound should anchor at Elsinore. Here the captain had to go a- behind Stengade No. 50, there leave their shore to pay a tax before being allowed to proceed. At the time is a beautiful old back house mark on the there were many protests against this new tax, but it was still car- dating from 1630, with origi- city. ried through and was in force until 1857. The money from the nal carved timber frame work Sound Dues went into the king’s own pocket, so Elsinore’s citizens in the auricular style. Stenga- did not profit directly from it. But the ships’ crews seized the de No. 46 is characterised by opportunity to take in supplies at Elsinore, and this founded the the ‘Three Crowns’ of the enormous Sound trade, which for several hundred years was the Swedish coat of arms, and on very backbone of Elsinore. This also means that a ship - to be pre- the roof, the impressive coat cise a “cog” - one of the most common vessels of the time, is in the of arms of the Swedish King Elsinore municipality coat of arms. Gustav III. The explanation for this is that the building was The Monastery erected in 1778 as a Swedish and the Churches consulate. Here the French condemned artist for the first the monument to the painter It is still possible to find memories of the Sound Dues in the town. Marechal Bernadotte - later half of our century. He was and poet Holger Drachmann, Most remarkable is the Castle , which was built by King King Karl XIV Johan of Swe- from Elsinore where his who often came to Hornbæk, Frederik II at the end of the 16th century. Kronborg den converted from the Cat- grandfather was city treasu- where he died in 1908. Close also holds what is left of the old Middle Age fortress holic to the Evangelical chur- rer. Tegner himself was to lea- to this monument is also one - Krogen, built by Erik of Pommerania to uphold ch. ve his mark on the town. At commemorating the rescue the Sound dues and defend Elsinore. The stately In No. 27 Strand- the corner of Kronborgvej exploits of the Hornbæk fis- Carmelite monastery is one of the best-preserved gade we find the and Havnegade stands his - hermen, described by the poet monastic buildings in all of . The Monaste- oldest timber and in the town very popular - Johannes Ewald in his ballad ry church - now Saint Mary’s Church - is also among frame house da- ‘Well of the dancers’. At the opera ‘The Fishermen’ from the major sights of the town with its newly-restored ting back to 1577. parking lot on the North Pier 1778. It is from this opera that frescoes. Not least the organ, which has not been As in most of the stands Tegner’s editions of Denmark got its royal anthem altered since the 1660’s when the famous organist other houses in ‘Hamlet’ and ‘Ophelia’ and at - ‘Kong Christian stod ved Diderich Buxtehude sat at its keyboard. Saint Olai this street this has the end of the pier probably højen mast’. Church - after 1959 consecrated the cathedral of also been an ale- his internationally best known Inland, the beautiful vil- Elsinore - is the parish church for inner Elsinore. house - Peter in work stands - ‘Heracle and the lage church is worth a visit, The Carmelite The first small church was built here round 1200 and the Anchor’s Hydra’. In the Cemetery of and only a few kilometres monastery is the rest of it can still be seen in the northern wall of the cathedral. daughter - No. 93 Elsinore can be found what is away at Gurre we find the the best- Through the following centuries the church was rebuilt and en- No. 27, Strand- Strandgade is the perhaps his most beautiful ruins of the hunting castle of preserved larged several times. Its current edifice was created in the middle gade dating building, which was the scene work of art - the sepulchral King Valdemar Atterdag. The of the 16th century and today it’s remarkable exterior and valuab- of one of Karen Blixen’s fan- monument over his mother, location is connected to vari- monastic buil- back to 1577 is le interior are an apt expression of the bourgeois prosperity, which tastic tales, namely ‘A kinship Sigrid Tegner. ous tales about King Valde- ding in all of at the time characterised the town. the oldest hou- in Elsinore’. The other houses mar and his love - Tovelil - and Denmark. se in Elsinore. in this part of Strandgade pre- The about the wild riding of the Preserved buildings sent a very fine example of the surroundings impious king. He was well Along Stengade one can find many beautiful and interesting buil- affluence, which descended on In the areas surrounding Els- known to have uttered the fol- dings dating back to the late Middle Ages. A very fine example is Elsinore in ‘the flourishing inore there are many remind- lowing blasphemous state- No. 66 - The Oxe-family yard from 1470 with its crenellated gables period’ in the second half of ers of the former greatness ment: ‘Let God keep his hea- on the old strait Gl. Færgestræde, tells much about the building sty- the 18th century. and power of Denmark. At , as long as I can keep my le of the time. Here Chrestiern Pedersen was born in 1480. He was No. 12 Kongensgade was Hellebæk - the oldest indu- Gurre’ - and for this he will the first to make an authorised translation of the Bible into Danish formerly Elsinore Grammar strial area in Denmark - you forever haunt the area. Gurre and is therefore called ‘The father of ’. Gl. Færge- School, where Hans Christian can see Bøssemagergade (the has been the arena of highly stræde has in general kept its late Middle Age character. At the Andersen ploughed through gunsmith’s street), Proberhu- dramatic events, but it was the other end of the strait at Strandgade we find the his unhappy school days from set (the testing house) and the idyllic atmosphere of the pla- old pharmacy which was founded by Frederik II 1826-27. still active Hammermøllen ce, which made Hans Chris- and was in function up to 1970. (hammer-mill) - the remnants tian Andersen utter: ‘I think it Despite the character of the Middle Ages, the Rudolf Tegner of the gunsmithy of Kronborg. is the most beautiful place in Town Hall in Stengade was built in the 1850’s, but The sculptor Rudolf Tegner Further along the coast at the Denmark’. using the stones from the 16th century town hall. was a very controversial and harbour of Hornbæk stands