- Helsingør
:"Elsinore redirects here. For other places and things named Elsinore, see
Elsinore (disambiguation) ."Geobox City
name =
category = City
image_size = 250px
image_caption = Kronborg Castle
flag_size =
symbol = Helsingørs våben 1584.png
symbol_size = 110px
country =Denmark
region =Sjælland
district_type = Municipality
district =Helsingør municipality
lat_d = 56 | lat_m = 02 | lat_s = 0 | lat_NS = N
long_d= 12 | long_m= 37 | long_s= 0 | long_EW = E
population_as_of =2006-01-01
population = 35,100
timezone = CET | utc_offset = +1
timezone_DST =CEST | utc_offset_DST = +2
postal_code = 3000
map_caption = Helsingør (right center) in Denmark
Helsingør (pronounced|hɛlseˈŋøɐ̯ˀ in Danish; in English also known by the name Elsinore) is a city in
Helsingør municipality on the northeast coast of the island ofZealand ("Sjælland") in easternDenmark . It is known internationally as the setting ofWilliam Shakespeare 's "Hamlet ", whence the spelling 'Elsinore' originated.The name is derived from *"Hals" meaning "
neck " and thus here also "narrow strait", i.e. the narrow strait (Øresund ) between what is now Helsingør andHelsingborg . The "Rerum Danicarum Historica" (1631) claims that the history of Helsingør can be traced back to 70 BC, but this information is highly dubious. The people were mentioned, as "Helsinger" (which may mean "the people of the strait"), for the first time in King Valdemar the Victorious's "Liber Census Daniæ " from 1231 (but they should not be confused with the Helsings ofHälsingland inSweden ). These two placenames show that the Helsinger may have had their main fort at Helsingborg and a fortified landing place at Helsingør, to control the ferry route across the strait.Before the Middle Ages Helsingør was just a marketplace where people sold goods. About 1200 AD the first church, Sct Olai Church, was built. A number of convents once surrounded the church, but now all that remains is the church building, today the cathedral of the
Diocese of Helsingør .Helsingør as we know it today was founded in the 1420s by the Danish king
Eric of Pomerania . He established theSound Dues in 1429 and built the castle 'Krogen', which was made bigger in the 1580s and named Kronborg. The oldest parts of the cathedral of Helsingør date back to the 1200s and tell us that the fishermen's village, as Helsingør was then, was a town of a certain importance. At least, there have always been some form of ferryboats crossing between Helsingør and Helsingborg.Kronborg Castle is a main tourist attraction. "Hamlet" has been performed a number of times in its courtyard.The Swedish city of
Helsingborg lies a short distance across the Øresund from Elsinore.European route E55 traverses the two cities; ferries connect the two ends.Immigrants
Helsingør has a large number of foreign-born inhabitants. The largest immigrant groups are Turks,
Arab s, and Roma. Helsingør has the largest concentration of Roma in Denmark; most of them living in housing projects such asVapnagård and "Nøjsomhed", 3 km West from the city center.Districts
Centrum
* North: Grønnehave (Green Gardens), Højstrup and Marienlyst
* West: Sundparken, Grøningen, Nøjsomheden andVapnagård
* South: Skotterup andSnekkersten .In fiction
*
William Shakespeare 's play "Hamlet " takes place atKronborg Castle in Helsingør, which Shakespeare spelled "Elsinore".
* In the 1983 comedy "Strange Brew ", which is loosely based on "Hamlet", the protagonists are given jobs at Elsinore Brewery.
* InPatrick O'Brian 'sAubrey–Maturin series , Helsingør fires mortar shells at the heroes in book seven, The Surgeon's Mate, as they sail past on their way to a rendezvous in the Baltic.
*InPhilip Roth 's second Chapter of his novel "Our Gang" ('71), Trick E. Dixon in a fictive speech tries to claim Helsingør as US-territory and tries to convince the audience to occupy the area
* InBret Easton Ellis 's novel "Lunar Park " the street on which the character Bret Easton Ellis lives with his own father-son haunting issues is named Elsinore Lane.
* Several stories written by the Danish authorKaren Blixen (or Isak Dinesen) take place in "Elsinore," including "The Supper at Elsinore" in her first published volume of stories, "Seven Gothic Tales".ee also
*
Helsingør municipality
*Ålsgårde
*Tourism in Denmark External links
* [http://www.visithelsingor.dk Helsingør Tourist Bureau website]
* [http://www.helsingoerhavn.dk/uk/home.html Port of Helsingør]
* [http://www.helsingor.dk/ Helsingør municipality's official website (in Danish only)]
* [http://www.helsingorleksikon.dk/ Helsingør Leksikon: Local history wiki (in Danish only)]
* [http://drokov.narod.ru/photos/helsinghor200505/index.htm Photos]
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