HELSINGR

also called Elsinore city, Frederiksborg amtskommune (county commune), Denmark. It lies on the northeast coast of Sjlland (Zealand), at the narrowest part of The Sound (resund) opposite Helsingborg, Sweden, with which it is connected by two ferries. In medieval times, when a toll for crossing The Sound was introduced, Helsingr, which had been a trading community since the 13th century, was granted a charter (1426) and prospered until the abolition of the toll in 1857. Kronborg Castle, the Elsinore Castle of Shakespeare's Hamlet, was built in Helsingr between 1574 and 1585 by Frederick II in Dutch Renaissance style to replace an earlier fortress; its design was altered by Christian IV after a fire in the 17th century. The castle played a major role in the collection of the toll. It was used as a barracks from 1785 to 1922 and was thoroughly restored in the late 1920s. Notable features are its banquet hall, chapel, and the Trade and Seafaring Museum of Kronborg. Historical sites include the city's Gothic St. Olai Church; Karmeliterklostret (1430), a former Carmelite monastery; and Marienlyst (c. 1587), a royal chateau, which has housed a museum and Hamlet collection since 1930. Helsingr is now a commercial and industrial centre; port facilities, shipbuilding, rubber manufacturing, and tourism are the main economic factors. The ancestral home of author Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen) is in the vicinity. Pop. (1988 est.) 43,193; (1994 est.) mun., 56,785.