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Helsingør ( , ; ), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a coastal city in northeastern
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
.
Helsingør Municipality Helsingør Municipality (a variant English name: Elsinore Municipality; Danish: ''Helsingør Kommune''), is a municipality in the Capital Region on the northeast coast of the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in eastern Denmark. The municipal ...
had a population of 63,953 on 1 January 2025, making it the 23rd most populated municipality in Denmark. Helsingør is located at the narrowest part of the
Øresund Øresund or Öresund (, ; ; ), commonly known in English as the Sound, is a strait which forms the Denmark–Sweden border, Danish–Swedish border, separating Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden). The strait has a length of ; its width var ...
strait and together with
Helsingborg Helsingborg (, , ), is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Scania County, Scania (Skåne), Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Scania (after Malmö) and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, ninth ...
in
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
, forms the northern reaches of the
Øresund Region Øresund or Öresund (, ; ; ), commonly known in English as the Sound, is a strait which forms the Denmark–Sweden border, Danish–Swedish border, separating Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden). The strait has a length of ; its width var ...
, centred on
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
and
Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...
. Helsingør is a ferry city with frequent departures with the
HH Ferry route HH may refer to: Organizations * HH Electronics, a British amplifier manufacturer * Happy Hippie Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Miley Cyrus * Hartmann House Preparatory School, an independent preparatory school in Harare, Zi ...
which connects Helsingør with Helsingborg, across the
Øresund Øresund or Öresund (, ; ; ), commonly known in English as the Sound, is a strait which forms the Denmark–Sweden border, Danish–Swedish border, separating Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden). The strait has a length of ; its width var ...
. Its castle
Kronborg Kronborg is a castle and historical stronghold in the town of Helsingør, Denmark. Immortalised as Elsinore in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet'', Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. It was inscribed ...
was used by
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
as the setting for his play ''
Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
.''


Etymology

The first part of the name, ''Hels'', is believed to derive from the word ''hals'' 'neck; narrow strait', referring to the narrowest point of the
Øresund Øresund or Öresund (, ; ; ), commonly known in English as the Sound, is a strait which forms the Denmark–Sweden border, Danish–Swedish border, separating Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden). The strait has a length of ; its width var ...
(Øre Sound) between what is now Helsingør and
Helsingborg Helsingborg (, , ), is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Scania County, Scania (Skåne), Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Scania (after Malmö) and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, ninth ...
in Sweden. The word ''Helsing'' supposedly means 'person/people who live by the neck' and ''ør'' corresponds to old Norse ''aurr'' 'gravel beach' and '' eyrr'' 'sandy or gravelly shore'. The city was first mentioned as ''Hælsingør'' and the people as ''Helsinger'' in King Valdemar the Victorious's ''
Liber Census Daniæ The Danish Census Book or the Danish book of land taxation (, ) dates from the 13th century and consists of a number of separate manuscripts. The original manuscripts are now housed in the Danish National Archives (''Rigsarkivet'') in Copenhage ...
'' from 1231 (not to be confused with the Helsings of
Hälsingland Hälsingland (), sometimes referred to by the Latin name Helsingia, is a historical Provinces of Sweden, province or ''landskap'' in central Sweden. It borders Gästrikland, Dalarna, Härjedalen, Medelpad and the Gulf of Bothnia. It is part of ...
in Sweden). Place names show that the Helsinger may have had their main fort at
Helsingborg Helsingborg (, , ), is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Scania County, Scania (Skåne), Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Scania (after Malmö) and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, ninth ...
and a fortified landing place at Helsingør, to control the ferry route across the strait. The particularly 19th-century tradition to explain toponymies, place names, with features of the landscape does not necessarily exclude the much older tradition of reading place names as eponymous. Although an obscure legendary character, or several, Helsing is quite abundantly present in traces of lost legends in the Nordic countries. Although probably not the first Helsing, one of the three sons of
Gandalf Alfgeirsson Gandalf Alfgeirsson () was a legendary king of the petty kingdom Alfheim, in south-eastern Norway and south-western Sweden He is portrayed in Snorri Sturluson's saga ''Heimskringla''. Heimskringla relates that Gandalf was given the kingdom of Alf ...
(the antagonist of
Halfdan the Black Halfdan the Black (Old Norse: ''Halfdanr Svarti''; ) was a king of Vestfold. He belonged to the House of Yngling and was the father of Harald Fairhair, the first king of a unified Norway. In sagas According to ''Heimskringla'' and ''Fagrskinna ...
, who was father of King
Harald Fairhair Harald Fairhair (; – ) was a Norwegian king. According to traditions current in Norway and Iceland in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, he reigned from  872 to 930 and was the first Monarchy of Norway, King of Norway. Supposedly, two ...
, the semi-legendary, historical first king of a feudalist Norway) is called Helsing. He was brother to Hake and Hysing Gandalfson. Also
Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
in Finland and
Hälsingland Hälsingland (), sometimes referred to by the Latin name Helsingia, is a historical Provinces of Sweden, province or ''landskap'' in central Sweden. It borders Gästrikland, Dalarna, Härjedalen, Medelpad and the Gulf of Bothnia. It is part of ...
in
Norrland Norrland (, , originally ''Norrlanden'', meaning 'the Northlands') is the northernmost, largest and least populated of the three traditional lands of Sweden, consisting of nine provinces. Although Norrland does not serve any administrative p ...
, Sweden, refers to Helsing, as "the Land of the Helsing/Helsinger," which makes the landscape theory of the name of Helsingør less likely.


History

The city as it is known today was founded in the 1420s by Danish King
Eric of Pomerania Erik of Pomerania ( 1381/1382 – 24 September 1459) ruled over the Kalmar Union from 1396 until 1439. He was initially co-ruler with his great-aunt Margaret I of Denmark, Margaret I until her death in 1412. Erik is known as Erik III as King of ...
. He established the
Sound Dues The Sound Dues (or Sound Tolls; ) were a toll on the use of the Øresund, or "Sound" strait separating the modern day borders of Denmark and Sweden. The tolls constituted up to two thirds of Denmark's state income in the 16th and 17th centurie ...
in 1429, which were a toll on the use of the Øresund. Although a different toll had existed before this one, the Sound Dues were paid in Helsingør, providing immense wealth to the city. With that income, the king built a castle named Krogen or Ørekrog on the extreme northeastern tip of the island of
Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...
. The city expanded around the castle and envelops it today. Krogen was rebuilt and expanded in the 1570s by king Frederik II and renamed
Kronborg Kronborg is a castle and historical stronghold in the town of Helsingør, Denmark. Immortalised as Elsinore in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet'', Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. It was inscribed ...
. All ships had to stop in Helsingør to get their cargo taxed and pay a toll to the Danish Crown, which generated a significant income to the city, which in turn generated trade. In 1672, Helsingør had grown to be the third-largest town in Denmark. Up until the middle of the 19th century, Helsingør was among the largest cities in the country. The Sound Dues were abolished in 1857 with the Copenhagen Convention in which all seafaring nations agreed to pay a one-time fee. The abolishment was a huge loss for the city and the following decades saw a slow growth in population. The oldest known fortified building of Helsingør is ''Flynderborg'', an early medieval fortress on a hill just south of the medieval city. Around 1200, the first church, Saint Olaf's 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 The Diocese of Helsingør ( Danish: Helsingør Stift) is a diocese within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark. It comprises the Danish Capital Region except for the core municipalities of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Tårnby and Dragør. Dis ...
. The oldest parts of the cathedral of Helsingør date back to the 13th century and show that the fishing village, as Helsingør was then, had grown to become a town of importance. Johan Isaksson Pontanus (''Rerum Danicarum Historica'', 1631) attributes a long and partially-fictitious history to Helsingør. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Helsingør was among the most important transport points for the rescue of Denmark's
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
population during the
Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
.
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
had ordered that all Danish Jews were to be arrested and deported to the
concentration camps A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploit ...
on
Rosh HaShanah Rosh Hashanah (, , ) is the New Year in Judaism. The Hebrew Bible, biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , ). It is the first of the High Holy Days (, , 'Days of Awe"), as specified by Leviticus 23:23–25, that occur in the late summe ...
, the Jewish New Year, which fell on 2 October 1943. When Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz, a diplomatic attaché of
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
to Denmark, received word of the order on 28 September 1943, he shared it with political and Jewish community leaders. Using the name Elsinore Sewing Club (Danish: ''Helsingør Syklub'') as a cover for messages, the Danish population formed an
Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...
of sorts that moved Jews away from the closely watched
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
docks to spots further away, especially in the north of Sjælland, including Helsingør, situated just two miles across the
Øresund Øresund or Öresund (, ; ; ), commonly known in English as the Sound, is a strait which forms the Denmark–Sweden border, Danish–Swedish border, separating Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden). The strait has a length of ; its width var ...
to
Helsingborg Helsingborg (, , ), is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Scania County, Scania (Skåne), Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Scania (after Malmö) and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, ninth ...
, in neutral
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
. Hundreds of civilians hid their fellow Danish Jewish citizens in their houses, farm lofts and churches until they could board them onto Danish fishing boats, personal pleasure boats and ferry boats. Over the course of three nights, Danes had smuggled over 7,200 Jews and 680 non-Jews (family members of Jews or political activists) across the Øresund to safety in Helsingborg and
Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...
in Sweden.


Transport

The car ferry line between Helsingør and
Helsingborg Helsingborg (, , ), is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Scania County, Scania (Skåne), Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Scania (after Malmö) and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, ninth ...
,
Scania Scania ( ), also known by its native name of Skåne (), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces () of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous w ...
,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
is the busiest in the world with more than 70 departures in each direction every day. The route is known as the
HH Ferry route HH may refer to: Organizations * HH Electronics, a British amplifier manufacturer * Happy Hippie Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Miley Cyrus * Hartmann House Preparatory School, an independent preparatory school in Harare, Zi ...
and has been sailed by several shipping lines throughout history. The Helsingør ferry terminal is connected to the town's
main railway station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...
. From the station, trains depart to
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
every 20 minutes. Trains also depart to
Hillerød Hillerød () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 36,604 (1 January 2025)Gilleleje Gilleleje () is a fishing town and seaside resort on the north coast of the peninsula North Zealand, Denmark. The town is located at the northernmost point of the island of Zealand. It is one of the main towns of the Gribskov municipality in Regio ...
. There are another six stations or train stops within the city and connected suburbs. Apart from ''Helsingør Station and Ferry Terminal'' also ', ', ' and the train stops on the line to Gilleleje, ', ' and '. The E47 motorway towards Copenhagen begins just outside the city limits. The town and surrounding areas also have a network of local and regional buses. A tunnel between Helsingør and Helsingborg in Sweden, the HH-tunnel is in the early planning stage.


Industrialisation

For a century the Helsingør Værft or Elsinore shipyard was a prominent landmark, which covered the whole area between the town and Kronborg Castle. It was founded in 1882. At its height in 1957, it had 3,600 employees. The last ship left the shipyard in 1983 and it closed the same year following substantial losses. The Wiibroe brewery, founded in 1840, was the second brewery in Denmark to ship bottled beer, just three years after
Carlsberg Carlsberg may refer to: Places * Carlsberg (district), a district in Copenhagen, Denmark ** Carlsberg station, its train station * Carlsberg, Germany, a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany * Carlsberg Fjord, Greenland Other uses * Carlsbe ...
. The last beer was brewed at Wiibroe in Helsingør in 1998.
Carlsberg Carlsberg may refer to: Places * Carlsberg (district), a district in Copenhagen, Denmark ** Carlsberg station, its train station * Carlsberg, Germany, a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany * Carlsberg Fjord, Greenland Other uses * Carlsbe ...
continues to brew beer under the Wiibroe Årgangsøl label.


Post-industrialisation

After the end of the industrial era, the town of Helsingør had to redefine itself, and came up with an ambitious project:
Kulturhavn Kronborg Kulturhavn Kronborg is an area in the harbour of Helsingør dedicated to culture and events, designed to attract residents and visitors. It is a joint initiative by Kronborg Castle, the Danish Maritime Museum, Kulturværftet (The Culture Yard) a ...
, literally "Culture-harbour of Kronborg". It officially opened on 26 May 2013, intended to appeal to tourists with an interest in culture. The main attraction of
Kulturhavn Kronborg Kulturhavn Kronborg is an area in the harbour of Helsingør dedicated to culture and events, designed to attract residents and visitors. It is a joint initiative by Kronborg Castle, the Danish Maritime Museum, Kulturværftet (The Culture Yard) a ...
is
Kronborg Castle Kronborg is a castle and historical stronghold in the town of Helsingør, Denmark. Immortalised as Elsinore in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet'', Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. It was inscribed ...
, a
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
. Besides the historical attractions of the site,
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's play ''
Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
'' has been performed annually in its courtyard since 1937. There is a longstanding tradition of performing the play in English, and notable actors in the title role have included
Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...
,
John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud ( ; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Britis ...
,
Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage and television. His accolades included an Academy Aw ...
,
Derek Jacobi Sir Derek George Jacobi (; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen as well as for his work at the Royal National Theatre, he has received numerous accolades including a Tony Award, a BAFTA Award, two ...
, and in 2009
Jude Law David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an English actor. He began his career in theatre before landing small roles in various British television productions and feature films. Law gained international recognition for his role in An ...
. At the heart of
Kulturhavn Kronborg Kulturhavn Kronborg is an area in the harbour of Helsingør dedicated to culture and events, designed to attract residents and visitors. It is a joint initiative by Kronborg Castle, the Danish Maritime Museum, Kulturværftet (The Culture Yard) a ...
lies
kulturværftet Kulturværftet () is a cultural centre located in Helsingør, Denmark. The center was established in 2010, in the buildings of the former :da:Helsingør Skibsværft og Maskinbyggeri, Helsingør Værft or Elsinore Shipyard. Kulturværftet is part ...
or The Culture Yard, a new cultural centre and a public library located in the old
dockyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes more involve ...
. It opened in 2010. The former
dry dock A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...
now houses the
Danish Maritime Museum The M/S Maritime Museum of Denmark () is a maritime museum located in Helsingør, Denmark. Established in 1915, its collections cover Danish trade and shipping from the 15th century to the present day. The museum was originally located at Kronbo ...
. In the centre of the harbour basin stands the polished steel sculpture ''Han'' (''He'') by artist duo Elmgreen and Dragset, commissioned by the City of Helsingør in 2012. It was inaugurated by then Minister of culture,
Uffe Elbæk Uffe Elbæk (born 15 June 1954) is a Danish politician, social worker, author, journalist, and entrepreneur. In 2013, he founded the green political party The Alternative, which he led until February 2020. He is an independent member of the Fol ...
, in June 2012. It is seen as the counterpart (and even little brother) to
Edvard Eriksen Edvard Eriksen (10 March 1876 – 12 January 1959) was a Danish–Icelandic sculptor. Biography He apprenticed as a wood carver, after which he trained at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts between 1894 and 1899. Eriksen's most famous work ...
's world-famous ''
The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" (), sometimes translated in English as "The Little Sea Maid", is a fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Originally published in 1837 as part of a collection of fairy tales for children, the story foll ...
'' statue in
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
, and has caused both praise and protests among locals. The Swedish city of
Helsingborg Helsingborg (, , ), is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Scania County, Scania (Skåne), Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Scania (after Malmö) and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, ninth ...
lies a short distance across the
Øresund Øresund or Öresund (, ; ; ), commonly known in English as the Sound, is a strait which forms the Denmark–Sweden border, Danish–Swedish border, separating Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden). The strait has a length of ; its width var ...
from Helsingør, approximately .
European route E55 European route E55 is an E-route. It starts in southern Sweden, crosses the Øresund strait to Denmark, and passes through more water (the western Baltic Sea) to reach continental Europe on Rostock, Germany. Thence it continues further southwar ...
joins the two cities;
ferries A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...
connect the two sides.


Music

Dieterich Buxtehude Dieterich Buxtehude (; born Diderich Hansen Buxtehude, ; – 9 May 1707) was a Danish composer and organist of the Baroque music, Baroque period, whose works are typical of the North German organ school. As a composer who worked in various vocal ...
was an organist and composer of the Baroque period. Presumably born in Helsingborg, he serving as organist from 1660 to 1668 in Helsingør like his father who held the position of organist at St. Olaf's cathedral. Diderich Buxtehude's compositions and style became of significant influence, among others, on his student
Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...
.


Architecture

The new
Danish Maritime Museum The M/S Maritime Museum of Denmark () is a maritime museum located in Helsingør, Denmark. Established in 1915, its collections cover Danish trade and shipping from the 15th century to the present day. The museum was originally located at Kronbo ...
was designed by Danish prize-winning architects
Bjarke Ingels Group Bjarke Ingels Group, often referred to as BIG, is a Copenhagen, New York City, London, Barcelona, Shanghai, Oslo, Los Angeles, Zurich, and Bhutan-based group of architects and designers operating within the fields of architecture, product, lands ...
(BIG).
Jørn Utzon Jørn Oberg Utzon (; 9 April 191829 November 2008) was a Danish architect. In 1957, he won an international design competition for his design of the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Utzon's revised design, which he completed in 1961, was the b ...
lived in Helsingør in his youth because his father was an engineer at Helsingør Værft. Utzon designed : His own house (1952), The
Kingo Houses Kingo Houses is a housing development designed by architect Jørn Utzon in Helsingør, Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, ...
(1956–60) and The Hammershøj Care Centre (1962) in the city. The project was completed by Birger Schmidt (1966) after Utzon moved to Sydney to work on the
Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...
.


Notable people


Public service

*
Christiern Pedersen Christiern Pedersen (c. 1480 – 16 January 1554) was a Danish canon, humanist scholar, writer, printer and publisher. Education Christiern Pedersen was born in Helsingør, Denmark. He was schooled in Roskilde and studied from 1496 at the Uni ...
(c.1480–1554), canon, humanist scholar, writer and publisher * Johannes Isacius Pontanus (1571–1639), Dutch
historiographer Historiography is the study of the methods used by historians in developing history as an academic discipline. By extension, the term "historiography" is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography of a specific to ...
. *
Niels Claussøn Senning Niels Claussøn Senning (c. 1580 – 1617) was a Danish/Norwegian Lutheran Bishop. Senning was born in Helsingør, Denmark. He studied at the University of Copenhagen, traveled as an eighteen year old abroad and received an enrollment at the Un ...
(c.1580–1617), Danish/Norwegian clergyman,
Bishop of Oslo The Diocese of Oslo is the Church of Norway's bishopric for the municipalities of Oslo, Asker and Bærum. It is one of Norway's five traditional bishoprics and was founded around the year 1070. History Oslo was established as a diocese in 1068. ...
*
Hans Ulrik Gyldenløve Hans Ulrik Gyldenløve (10 March 1615 – 31 January 1645) was the illegitimate son of King Christian IV of Denmark and his mistress, Karen Andersdatter. He was also a Danish-Norwegian Navy officer and ''lensmann'' bailiff. Childhood Hans Ulr ...
(1615–1645), illegit. son of King
Christian IV of Denmark Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and King of Norway, Norway and List of rulers of Schleswig-Holstein, Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is th ...
and Navy officer * Jørgen Iversen Dyppel (1638–1683), first governor of the
Danish West Indies The Danish West Indies () or Danish Virgin Islands () or Danish Antilles were a Danish colony in the Caribbean, consisting of the islands of Saint Thomas with , Saint John () with , Saint Croix with , and Water Island. The islands of St ...
1672/1680. * Christian de Meza (1792–1865) commanded the
Danish Army The Royal Danish Army (; ; ) is the land-based branch of the Danish Armed Forces, together with the Danish Home Guard. For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structures, equipment and training method ...
in the
Second Schleswig War The Second Schleswig War (; or German Danish War), also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War, was the second military conflict over the Schleswig–Holstein question of the nineteenth century. The war began on 1 Februar ...
* Robert Cleaver Chapman (1803–1902), pastor, teacher and evangelist, the ''apostle of Love'' * Olivia Nielsen (1852–1910), a Danish trade unionist and politician * Hans Wright (1854–1925), city architect in Copenhagen from 1904 to 1925 * William Thalbitzer (1873–1958), a philologist and professor of
Eskimo ''Eskimo'' () is a controversial Endonym and exonym, exonym that refers to two closely related Indigenous peoples: Inuit (including the Alaska Native Iñupiat, the Canadian Inuit, and the Greenlandic Inuit) and the Yupik peoples, Yupik (or Sibe ...
studies * Morten Løkkegaard (born 1964), Danish politician and MEP.


Arts

*
Pieter Isaacsz Pieter Isaacsz (ca 1569, Helsingør – 14 September 1625) was a Danish court and portrait painter from Dutch origin who worked in a mannerist style on historical, biblical and mythological subjects. He was also a tapestry designer and art-dealer ...
(1569–1625), a Danish-born
Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age ( ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands which roughly lasted from 1588, when the Dutch Republic was established, to 1672, when the '' Rampjaar'' occurred. During this period, Dutch trade, scientific development ...
painter. *
Bernhard Keil Bernhard Keil or Keyl (1624 – 3 February 1687) was a Danish Baroque painter who became a pupil of Rembrandt. Biography Keil was born in Helsingør. According to the RKD he was a pupil of the Danish painter Morten Steenwinkel and became a p ...
(1624–1687), Danish Baroque painter, became a pupil of
Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...
. * Johan Frederik Møller (1797–1871), Danish painter and photographer. * Anton Melbye (1818–1875), Vilhelm Melbye (1824–1882) & Fritz Melbye (1826–1869), brothers and Danish
marine art Marine art or maritime art is a form of figurative art (that is, painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture) that portrays or draws its main Sea in culture, inspiration from the sea. Maritime painting is a genre that depicts ships and the sea ...
ists *
August Schiøtt Heinrich August Georg Schiøtt (17 December 1823 – 25 June 1895) was a Danish portrait painter. Biography August Schiøtt was born in Helsingør, Denmark. He was the son of Heinrich Erpecum Schiøtt and Anna Sophie Marie Fleron. His father w ...
(1823–1895), Danish portrait painter. *
Peter Elfelt Peter Elfelt (1 January 1866 – 18 February 1931) was a Danish photographer and film director known as the first movie pioneer in Denmark when he began making documentary films in 1897. Biography Peter Elfelt was born Peter Lars Petersen in ...
(1866–1931), photographer and cinema pioneer, made early Danish films *
Harald Moltke Harald Viggo Moltke (14 December 1871 – 24 June 1960) was a Danish painter, author and explorer. As an explorer he acted as draftsman in four Arctic expeditions. Early life and education Harald Moltke was born in Helsingør, the son of Oskar P ...
(1871–1960), a painter, author and explorer on four Arctic expeditions *
Alfred Lind Søren Estrup Alfred Lind (27 March 1879 – 29 April 1959) was a Danish cinematographer, screenwriter, and film director of the silent era. Lind was a prominent director in early Scandinavian cinema, and also worked in the German film industry. ...
(1879–1959), cinematographer, screenwriter and silent era film director * Valdemar Andersen (1889–1956), screenwriter and film director for
Nordisk Film Nordisk Film A/S () is a Danish entertainment company involved in film production and distribution and a subsidiary of Egmont Group. The multimedia entertainment company is also involved in television production, cinemas, computer games and ...
*
Ove Verner Hansen Ove Verner Hansen (20 July 1932 – 20 February 2016) was a Danish opera singer and actor. He played the character, "Bøffen" (or "Biffen" in Norwegian, literally meaning "the steak" in both languages) in 16 of the ''Olsen-banden''-movies (11 D ...
(1932–2016), Danish opera singer and actor *
Erik Wedersøe Erik Wedersøe (18 July 1938 – 27 September 2011) was a Danish actor, director and author. Among his most famous roles are the psychiatrist "Pigernes Ole" in Lars von Trier's Riget II and Ulf Thomsen in the Emmy awarded (2002) Danish televis ...
(1938–2011), a Danish actor, director and author *
Birte Tove Birte Tove (née Birte Tove Sørensen; 1945–2016), was a Danish actress and nude model. She is best known for her work in the 1970s Bedside-films (), an erotic film series produced by A/S Palladium. Her films were popular internationally, and ...
(1945–2016), a Danish actress *
Morten Rudå Morten Rudå (born 1 June 1960, in Helsingør, Denmark) is a Norwegian actor. Rudå, who was one of those who started the drag show group Great Garlic Girls in 1981, has acted in theatre in both Norway and the US, as well as in Norwegian films a ...
(born 1960), a Norwegian actor *
Fredrik Lundin Fredrik Lundin (born 7 April 1963) is a Danish jazz saxophonist, composer and bandleader. Having founded his first jazz quartet in 1981, he has become one of the most expressive saxophonists in Danish jazz and also one of the most prolific ones. L ...
(born 1963), jazz saxophonist and bandleader, brought up in Helsingør *
Martin Glyn Murray Martin Glyn Murray (born 1 February 1966 in Helsingør, Denmark) is a Danish-born British actor who has played Mark Thompson in ''Families'' and he has also been in ''The Bill'', '' Sharpe'', ''Aristocrats'', '' Enigma'', ''Enemy at the Gates'', ...
(born 1966), a Danish-born British actor *
Jan Grarup Jan Grarup (born 1968) is a Danish photojournalist who has worked both as a staff photographer and as a freelance, specializing in war and conflict photography. He has won many prizes including the World Press Photo award for his coverage of th ...
(born 1968 in Kvistgaard), a photojournalist, does war and conflict photography *
Helle Fagralid Helle Fagralid (born 11 May 1976) is a Danish actress who has appeared in number of feature films and television series. Career Fagralid played Iben in the TV-series ''Nikolaj og Julie'' (2002–2003), Freja, the goddess of love, in the TV-se ...
(born 1976), Danish actress of Faroese descent *
Vicki Berlin Vicki Berlin Tarp (born Vicki Jensen on 16 November 1977 in Helsingør Helsingør ( , ; ), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a coastal city in northeastern Denmark. Helsingør Municipality had a population of 63,953 on 1 Jan ...
(born 1977), a Danish actress IMDb Database
retrieved 30 June 2020
* Susanne Grinder (born 1981), principal dancer with the
Royal Danish Ballet The Royal Danish Ballet ( Danish: ''Den Kongelige Ballet'') is an internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Danish Theatre in Kongens Nytorv, Copenhagen, Denmark. It is one of the oldest ballet companies in the world a ...


Science and business

*
Sophia Brahe Sophia (or Sophie) Thott Lange (; 24 August 1559 or 22 September 1556probably in 1559 following , some others scholars give 1556, both dates match his horoscope (Det Kongelige Bibliotek). – 1643), known by her maiden name, was a Danish noble ...
(1559–1643), a Danish noble woman and horticulturalist with knowledge of astronomy, chemistry, and medicine; lived in Helsingør from 1616 * Stephen Hansen (1701–1770), industrialist, businessman and General War Commissioner *
Jean Abraham Grill Jean Abraham Grill (21July 173612March 1792), sometimes called Johan Abraham Grill, was a Swedish merchant, supercargo, director of the Swedish East India Company (SOIC) and ironmaster at Grill (family)#Godegård, Godegård with several factories ...
(1736–1792), merchant, director of the
Swedish East India Company The Swedish East India Company (; SOIC) was founded in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1731 for the purpose of conducting trade with India, China and the Far East. The venture was inspired by the success of the Dutch East India Company and the British Ea ...
. * Hans Christian Amberg (1749–1815), a Danish lexicographer * Hartvig Marcus Frisch (1754–1816), director of the
Royal Greenland Trading Department The Royal Greenland Trading Department (, KGH) was a Danish state enterprise charged with administering the realm's settlements and trade in Greenland. The company managed the government of Greenland from 1774 to 1908 through its Board of Manag ...
* Sir Edward Knox (1819–1901), Danish-born Australian politician, sugar refiner and banker. *
Ludvig Lorenz Ludvig Valentin Lorenz ( ; 18 January 1829 – 9 June 1891) was a Danish physicist and mathematician. In 1867, he gave completely general integral solutions to the differential equations of electromagnetism, which contain retardation effects re ...
(1829–1891), physicist and mathematician, named the
Lorenz gauge condition In electromagnetism, the Lorenz gauge condition or Lorenz gauge (after Ludvig Lorenz) is a partial gauge fixing of the electromagnetic vector potential by requiring \partial_\mu A^\mu = 0. The name is frequently confused with Hendrik Lorentz, who ...
* Jens Levin Tvede (1830–1891), a Danish distiller, industrialist and politician; member of Helsingør City Council from 1857 and of the
Landstinget The Landsting () was the upper house of the Rigsdag, from 1849 until 1953, when the bicameral system was abolished in favour of unicameralism. The Landsting had powers equal to the Folketing, which made the two houses of parliament hard to dis ...
* Gordon Norrie (1855–1941), Danish surgeon and ophthalmologist, named
Norrie disease Norrie disease is a rare X-linked recessive genetic disorder that primarily affects the eyes and almost always leads to blindness. It is caused by mutations in the Norrin cystine knot growth factor gene, also referred to as Norrie Disease Pseudog ...
*
Wilhelm Johannsen Wilhelm Johannsen (3 February 1857 – 11 November 1927) was a Danish pharmacist, botanist, plant physiologist, and geneticist. He is best known for coining the terms gene, phenotype and genotype, and for his 1903 "pure line" experiments in ...
(1857–1927), Danish botanist, plant physiologist and geneticist *
Simon Spies Simon Ove Christian Ogilvie Spies (1 September 1921 – 16 April 1984) was a Danish tycoon, best known for founding the charter airline Spies Rejser, and its airway company Conair of Scandinavia, and for his flamboyant lifestyle and womanisi ...
(1921–1984), Danish
tycoon A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...
. * Steen Rasmussen (born 1955), a physicist, works on
artificial life Artificial life (ALife or A-Life) is a field of study wherein researchers examine systems related to natural life, its processes, and its evolution, through the use of simulations with computer models, robotics, and biochemistry. The discipline ...
and
complex systems A complex system is a system composed of many components that may interact with one another. Examples of complex systems are Earth's global climate, organisms, the human brain, infrastructure such as power grid, transportation or communication s ...
*
Mette Blomsterberg Mette Jæger Blomsterberg (born 20 July 1970) is a Danish pastry chef, restaurateur and cookbook writer. She has been a judge in the television programme ''Den store bagedyst'', the Danish equivalent of The Great British Bake Off. Biography Born ...
(born 1970), Danish pastry chef, restaurateur and cookbook writer


Sport

* Fairfax Fenwick (1852–1920), a New Zealand cricketer *
Edgar Aabye Edgar Lindenau Aabye (14 September 1865 – 30 April 1941) was a Danish athlete and journalist who earned a gold medal in the tug of war at the age of 34 in the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, after joining the team as a last-minute subs ...
(1865–1941), a Danish athlete and journalist, team gold medallist in the tug of war at the
1900 Summer Olympics The 1900 Summer Olympics (), today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad () and also known as Paris 1900, were an international multi-sport event that took place in Paris, France, from 14 May to 28 October 1900. No opening or closin ...
* August Sørensen (1896–1979), track and field athlete, competed in the
1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (; ; ), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (; ; ) and commonly known as Antwerp 1920 (; Dutch language, Dutch and German language, German: ''Antwerpen 1920''), were an international multi-sport event held i ...
* Willy Hansen (1906–1978), a Danish track cyclist, silver medallist at the
1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad () and officially branded as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The opening ceremony was held on 5 July, but some competitions had al ...
and gold and bronze medallist at the
1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the IX Olympiad (), was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from 28 July to 12 August 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The city of Amsterdam had previously bid for ...
*
Jørn Steffensen Jørn Steffensen (born 20 September 1944) is a Danish modern pentathlete. He competed at the 1968, 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as M ...
(born 1944), a modern pentathlete, competed at the
1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
,
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
and
1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...
*
Mads Vibe-Hastrup Mads Vibe-Hastrup (born 20 November 1978) is a Danish professional golfer. Early life Vibe-Hastrup was born in Helsingør. Professional career In 1999, Vibe-Hastrup turned professional. Vibe-Hastrup qualified for the European Tour after fin ...
(born 1978), Danish professional golfer * Tobias Mikkelsen (born 1986), a footballer with over 250 club caps and 8 for
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
*
Mikkel Hansen Mikkel Hansen (born 22 October 1987) is a Danish former professional handball player. Widely regarded as the greatest handball player of all timeHansen has won the IHF World Player of the Year a record-tying three times. He played as a left bac ...
(born 1987),
handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...
player who won the
IHF World Player of the Year The IHF World Player of the Year is a handball award given annually to the player who is considered to have performed the best in the previous season, both at club and international competitions. It is awarded based on votes from experts, media a ...
2011, 2015, 2018


Districts

Centrum * North: Grønnehave (Green Gardens), Højstrup and
Marienlyst Marienlyst is an area in the borough of St. Hanshaugen in Oslo. It is best known as the site of the national headquarters of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK), and "Marienlyst" is often used synonymously with NRK. It is located n ...
,
Hellebæk Hellebæk is a town located on the coast five kilometres northwest of Helsingør, North Zealand, some 40 kilometres north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It has merged with the neighbouring community of Ålsgårde to form an urban area with a population of ...
,
Ålsgårde Ålsgårde is a seaside resort and former fishing village on the north coast of Zealand, Denmark, located six kilometer northwest of Helsingør. Formerly Ålsgårde was a separate town, but today it has merged with the neighbouring town of Helle ...
and Hornbæk * West: Sundparken, Grøningen, Nøjsomheden, Vapnagård,
Gurre The Gurre or Gurra ( Somali: ''Gurre'') is a Somali clan. They are part of the sub-clan of the major Dir clan family and primarily live in the Somali Region of Ethiopia and in Wargadud county of Mandera, Kenya Distribution The Gurre live in ...
, Nygård,
Tikøb Tikøb is a small town and parish located 8 km west of Helsingør and six km north of Fredensborg, between Lake Esrum to the southwest and Gurre Lake to the east. in Helsingør Municipality, some 40 km north of Copenhagen, Denmark. Hist ...
* South:
Skotterup Skotterup is a former village and current neighbourhood located in the southern part of Helsingør, Denmark. It is located between Snekkersten to the north and Espergærde to the south and belongs to Snekkersten postal district (3070, Snekkersten ...
and
Snekkersten Snekkersten is a former fishing village and current neighbourhood in the southern part of Helsingør, Denmark. Snekkersten station is an interchange between the Coast Line (Denmark), Coast Line between Copenhagen (to Copenhagen) and the Lille Nord ...
and
Espergærde Espergærde is a town situated in North Zealand near Øresund in Denmark. It is part of the larger urban area Espergærde-Snekkersten-Helsingør ( Elsinore), some 5 to 8 km south of the centre of Helsingør , separated from the urban area of ...


Twin towns – sister cities

Helsingør practices twinning on the municipal level. For the twin towns, see twin towns of Helsingør Municipality.


In fiction and popular culture

*
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's play ''
Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
'' (whence the English spelling "Elsinore" derives) takes place mostly at
Kronborg Castle Kronborg is a castle and historical stronghold in the town of Helsingør, Denmark. Immortalised as Elsinore in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet'', Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. It was inscribed ...
in Helsingør. * In the 1983 comedy '' Strange Brew'', which is loosely based on ''Hamlet'', the protagonists are given jobs at Elsinore Brewery. * In
Patrick O'Brian Patrick O'Brian (12 December 1914 – 2 January 2000), born Richard Patrick Russ, was an English novelist and translator, best known for his Aubrey–Maturin series. These sea novels are set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and ...
's
Aubrey–Maturin series The Aubrey–Maturin series is a sequence of nautical historical novels—20 completed and one unfinished—by English author Patrick O'Brian, set during the Napoleonic Wars and centring on the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey of the R ...
, Helsingør fires
mortar shells A mortar today is usually a simple, lightweight, man-portable, Muzzleloader, muzzle-loaded cannon, consisting of a Smoothbore, smooth-bore (although some models use a Rifling, rifled barrel) metal tube fixed to a base plate (to spread out the r ...
at the heroes in book seven, The Surgeon's Mate, as they sail past on their way to a rendezvous in the Baltic. *In the second chapter of
Philip Roth Philip Milton Roth (; March 19, 1933 – May 22, 2018) was an American novelist and short-story writer. Roth's fiction—often set in his birthplace of Newark, New Jersey—is known for its intensely autobiographical character, for philosophical ...
's novel ''
Our Gang ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, who also pr ...
'' (1971), Trick E. Dixon in a fictive speech tries to claim Helsingør as US-territory and tries to convince the audience to occupy the area * In
Bret Easton Ellis Bret Easton Ellis (born March 7, 1964) is an American author and screenwriter. Ellis was one of the literary Brat Pack (literary), Brat Pack and is a self-proclaimed satirist whose trademark technique as a writer is the expression of extreme acts ...
's novel ''
Lunar Park ''Lunar Park'' is a metafictional novel by American writer Bret Easton Ellis, presented as a mock memoirs. It was released by Knopf in 2005. It was the first book written by Ellis to use past tense narrative. Plot summary The novel begins wit ...
'', the street on which the character Bret Easton Ellis lives, with his own haunting father-son issues, is called Helsingør Lane. * Several stories written by the Danish author
Karen Blixen Baroness Karen Christentze von Blixen-Finecke (born Dinesen; 17 April 1885 – 7 September 1962) was a Danish author who wrote in Danish and English. She is also known under her pen names Isak Dinesen, used in English-speaking countries; Ta ...
(or Isak Dinesen) take place in Helsingør, including "The Supper at Elsinore" in her first published volume of stories, ''Seven Gothic Tales''. * A well-known poem by the Portuguese surrealist poet
Mário Cesariny Mario is the Italian, French, Croatian, Czech, Norwegian, Slovak, Serbian, Hungarian, Slovene, Polish, Spanish, Danish, Portuguese, Romanian, Swedish, Bulgarian, Greek, German, Dutch, and English form of the Latin Roman name Marius. The video ...
is named "You are welcome to Helsingør". * Children's author
Richard Scarry Richard McClure Scarry (; June 5, 1919 – April 30, 1994) was an American children's author and illustrator who published over 300 books with total sales of over 100 million worldwide. He is best known for his ''Best Ever'' book series that tak ...
depicted Helsingør as "A Castle in Denmark" in the book ''Busy, Busy World''. * Indie-rock band
The Essex Green The Essex Green is an American indie rock band from Brooklyn that has released four albums to date. The band is primarily composed of songwriters Jeff Baron, Sasha Bell and Chris Ziter, and specializes in a classic sound inspired by 1960s–197 ...
recorded a song titled "Elsinore" for their 2006 album '' Cannibal Sea''. * In
David Brin Glen David Brin (born October 6, 1950) is an American science fiction author. He has won the Hugo Award, Hugo,
's novel ''
The Postman ''The Postman'' is a Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic dystopian science fiction novel by David Brin. It is about a man wandering the desolate Oregon countryside who finds a United States Postal Service uniform, which h ...
'', the first chapter features an apparition that appears to protagonist Gordon Krantz. It is described as an "Elsinorian figure" and greets Gordon with "Alas, poor Gordon!", both allusions to ''Hamlet''. * Surrealist artist
René Magritte René François Ghislain Magritte (; 21 November 1898 – 15 August 1967) was a Belgium, Belgian surrealist artist known for his depictions of familiar objects in unfamiliar, unexpected contexts, which often provoked questions about the nature ...
has a painting named after the city, depicting a castle, which might be modelled on Elsinore Castle. * The detective show ''The Sommerdahl Murders'' is set in Helsingør


See also

* Elsinore municipality *
Carmelite Priory, Helsingør The Carmelite Priory, Helsingør, or Priory of Our Lady, Helsingør (), was a house of Carmelite friars in Helsingør, Zealand, Denmark, established in 1430. It is the finest example of a complete monastic complex surviving in Denmark, and one of ...
*
Hellebæk Hellebæk is a town located on the coast five kilometres northwest of Helsingør, North Zealand, some 40 kilometres north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It has merged with the neighbouring community of Ålsgårde to form an urban area with a population of ...
*
Ålsgårde Ålsgårde is a seaside resort and former fishing village on the north coast of Zealand, Denmark, located six kilometer northwest of Helsingør. Formerly Ålsgårde was a separate town, but today it has merged with the neighbouring town of Helle ...
*
Tourism in Denmark Tourism in Denmark is a growing industry and a major economic contributor. Tourists spent a total of DKK 128 billion and the tourism industry employed 161,999 people in full time positions in 2017. In 2018, tourists from Denmark's neighbori ...


References


External links


Helsingør Tourist Bureau website
*
Port of Helsingør

Helsingør municipality's official website

Helsingør Leksikon: Local history wiki
{{DEFAULTSORT:Helsingor Municipal seats in the Capital Region of Denmark Cities and towns in the Capital Region of Denmark Port cities and towns in Denmark Port cities and towns of the Øresund Denmark–Sweden border crossings Helsingør Municipality