Kronborg Keep, part two

After Jael posed for wonderful shots with the model, we crossed the moat and went in to check out the castle.  But, before we got to the regular part you had to pay to see, we got to see a bunch more free stuff.  Kronborg Castle was, until 20 or so years ago, still a military outpost.  Since the army left, the old buildings have become kind of an art center and there are loads of galleries all over the place where you could buy stuff and watch it be made.  Nothing was open when we were there but the set-up reminded me a lot of Williamsburg.

There was lots of fun educational stuff as well though.  There was loads of space and, as my guidebook noted, this would have been a great place to have a picnic lunch (had it been above freezing).  There was a series of scale models which showed the growth of the castle over the years.

1420-1500

1500-1585

1585-1749

They also had a giant (and I mean giant) contour map of the coasts of Denmark and Sweden which were near each other along the Øresund.  The map took up the whole front lawn area inside the big gates of the castle area but outside of the inside moat.

Jael is standing on Helsingør and I am taking the picture by København (Copenhagen).

Here, Helsingør is in the foreground and Helsingborg, Sweden, is in the distance.

Standing near the giant map, looking up at the castle over the little, internal moat.

It looks like they had an officers'
training school here.

The Helsingør Garrison, 1425-1991

The old barracks have been turned into artists' studios and storage.

Horse Trough! 

This was what was stored in one of the barracks above.
I have no idea what they are for but the whole room was full of them.

That's Sweden, just across the way!

Walking up to the castle.  See all the cannon?

There were these kinds of hills with doors in them all over the place.  Jael was really hoping
that they were Hobbit holes (they were locked so we couldn't check) but, after we went
through the castle I think we were both resigned to the fact that they were probably just
entrances into the giant maze of underground tunnels which were supposed to help defend
the castle.

They had a bunch of historical plaques up here, as well, pointing out interesting historical information about the castle, the city, and the royal family.

This makes me think "But I'm not dead yet!"
The label reads "Plague victims driven away."

Poseidon and Hermes showed up again, here, around the entrance to the actual castle part of the castle.









These reliefs of ladies holding skulls are over the main entry gate into the castle itself.  This is where I quoted some quite appropriate Shakespeare and where Jael ignored my literary efforts.  I said "Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him well" (a slight misquotation of Hamlet, Act V, Scene i) and then I looked up and Jael had gone off somewhere else.  But I promise, I really did quote some Hamlet while I was at Elsinore.

If you click here, you can watch a three minute video about Kronborg Castle.  There isn't that much information on the video but it does have some really pretty aerial views and you get to see a little more of the castle.