I’d read Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” in college and knew the story centered on the Danish Prince who is instructed by his father’s ghost to seek revenge on those who killed him. As many Shakespearian tragedies do, it spirals downward from there.
Statues of Hamlet and Ophelia greeted us today in the town square just outside Kronborg Castle in the northeastern corner of Denmark. Dubbed “Hamlet’s Castle,” it is the real-life locale for the play’s action.
Originally built in the 1420s by King Eric VII, its importance also extends beyond literature. Sweden was a mere four kilometers across the waters, so the need for maintaining a strong fortification was perpetual.
The other major castle we visited, Frederiksborg Slot, has been the country’s Museum of National History since 1878. Its construction began in 1588 while Christian IV was King.
In both places we toured the chapels, the royal apartments, and the ballrooms. Given the opulence, we wondered what the life of the average peasant must have been like back then.
Both castles have endured fires, been rebuilt, and then endured occupations. Both are described on Google® in far more detail than I can offer here. But, if the commentary we heard on our tour is any indication, both are beloved by the Danish people as reminders of their proud history.
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