Kronborg Castle Julemarked

Last Saturday we went to a Julemarked (Christmas Fair) in Kronborg Castle.  It was a beautiful rainy day in Denmark.  The castle is sometimes refered as the "Hamlet Castle" as William Shakespeare wrote his famous tragedy about Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, around 1600 and set the play at Kronborg (Elsinore).  Even though Hamlet was not a historical person the play ensured Kronborg worldwide fame.

We had to go down into the basement casemates beneath Kronborg to get some aebleskivers  (Danish round ball pancakes).  The gloomy casemates are where the soldiers' quarters were during times of war.  Up to a 1000 men could live down there with supplies to withstand a six-week siege.  Denmark's Holger the Dane sits dormant down there ready to stir into action the minute the Kingdom of Denmark is threatened. 

These cannons face Sweden which you can see in the distance.  Sweden has a long relationship with Denmark.  At one time it was part of Denmark, then after a series of wars, it won.