Hamlet: Helsingoer - Kronborg Castle

The name is derived from the word "hals" meaning "narrow strait", between what is now Helsingør, Denmark, and Helsingborg, Sweden. The Rerum Danicarum Historica (1631) claims that the history of Helsingør can be traced back to 70 BC. The people were mentioned as Helsinger which may mean "the people of the strait” who have maintained a ferry there throughout history. Modern Helsingør was founded in the 1420s by the Danish king Eric of Pomerania. He established the Sound Dues in 1429 and built the castle 'Krogen', which was expanded in the 1580s and named Kronborg. Shakespeare's play Hamlet takes place at Kronborg Castle in Helsingør, which Shakespeare spelled "Elsinore."

The Old Vic staged a production of Hamlet directed by Tyrone Guthrie at Elsinore Castle in 1937, with Olivier as Hamlet (see next image for a photograph of this production). "Hamlet at Elsinore" is a 1964 made-for-television version of Shakespeare's play for the BBC and the U.S. NET in 1965, acclaimed for its performances and filming entirely at Elsinore, in the castle in which the play is set. Christopher Plummer played the Hamlet, Robert Shaw was Claudius, and Michael Caine, Horatio. Clips of the film are rare on television, and it has never been released on VHS or DVD. However, bits of it can be found on Youtube under this title. The film was directed by Philip Saville. Picture and some data courtesy of the Yorck Project, under Creative Commons Attribution-Share- Alike License (Wikipedia).