Elsinore (Danish Helsingør) is a Danish city at the north-east point of Zealand. Internationally, it is mostly known from the theatre play Hamlet by William Shakespeare.
Elsinore as we know it today was founded in the 1420's by the danish king Erik of Pommern. He established the Sound Toll and build the castle 'Krogen', which was made bigger in the 1580's and named Kronborg. The oldest parts of the cathedral of Elsinore is from the 1200's and tells us that the fishermans village, as Elsinore was then, was a town of a certain importance. At least, there have always been a kind of ferryboats between Elsinore and Helsingborg.
Kronborg Castle is a main tourist attraction.
Across the short water distance of Øresund is the Swedish city of Helsingborg. Through both cities, and the ferry between them, goes European route E4.
The municipality of Elsinore covers an area of 122 km², and has a total population of 59,492.
