Elsinore
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Helsingør Elsinore |
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Helsingør waterfront in November 2006
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 Helsingør
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| Coordinates: 56°02′10″N 12°36′30″E / 56.03611°N 12.60833°ECoordinates: 56°02′10″N 12°36′30″E / 56.03611°N 12.60833°E | |
| Country | Denmark |
| Region | Capital (Hovedstaden) |
| Municipality | Helsingør |
| Established | 1420s |
| City charter | 17th century |
| Current municipality | 2007-01-01 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Benedikte Kiær |
| Area | |
| • Total | 121.61 km2 (46.95 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 8 m (26 ft) |
| Population (2014) | |
| • Total | 61,519 |
| • Density | 510/km2 (1,300/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 3000 |
| Area code(s) | (+45) 49 |
| Website | www |
Helsingør (Danish pronunciation: [hɛlseŋˈøɐ̯ˀ]), classically known in English as Elsinore, is a city in eastern Denmark.
Helsingør (municipality) had a population of 61 519 on 1 January 2015. It is known for its castle Kronborg, where William Shakespeare's play Hamlet is set. The HH Ferry route connects Helsingør with Helsingborg in Sweden.
The name Helsingør is derived from the word hals meaning "neck" or "narrow strait", referring to the narrowest point of the Øresund (Øre Sound) between what is now Helsingør and Helsingborg, Sweden. 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 (not to be confused with the Helsings of Hälsingland in Sweden). 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.
Helsingør as it is known today was founded in the 1420s by the Danish king Eric of Pomerania. He established the Sound Dues in 1429, meaning all foreign ships passing through the strait had to pay a toll, which constituted up to two-thirds of Denmark's state income. With this income Eric of Pomerania built the castle Krogen. The castle was expanded in the 1580s and renamed Kronborg. All ships had to stop in Helsingør to get their cargo taxed and pay a toll to the Danish Crown, but it also generated a significant trade for the town. In 1672 Helsingør had grown into the third biggest town in Denmark.Johan Isaksson Pontanus (Rerum Danicarum Historica, 1631) attributes a long and partially fictitious history to Helsingør.
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