Helsingør

Description

NV Cruising Guide

Navigation

Entering the lighted harbor (Fl.R and Fl.G) is unproblematic by day and night. Coming from the north, keep to the northern green sector of the Kronborg light (Oc(2)WRG.6s) until you can enter the harbor on a westerly course. The traffic separation scheme in the northern part of the Sound, which is used very intensively by large ships, should be avoided by pleasure craft at all costs. There can be quite a strong current (up to 3 nm/h) under land at times.

Attention: The ferries operating between Helsingør and Helsingborg do not take recreational boating into consideration. Incoming ships have right of way in the harbor entrance. The maximum permitted speed is 2 kn.

The commercial and ferry port of Helsingborg is generally closed to pleasure craft. Large yachts (at least 50ft  in length) can be moored in the modernized and redesigned cultural harbour in the north of the harbour basin. The harbor office can be reached via VHF channel 16 or telephone (45) 2531 1080. Moving in is only permitted with permission from the harbour office and then from a quarter to a quarter past the hour.

Berths

When the mammoth "Round Zealand" regatta is not taking place (often with over 1,000 ships), there are plenty of guest berths here. You can moor your boat in a free box (often only 2.5 m wide), but must report to the harbour master. The water depth is 2 - 3 m. The equipment pier (crane, bunker) may only be used for short periods of time.

Surroundings

This modern marina, which is one of the largest in Denmark, offers all kinds of services (including customs, fuel, shipyard services and sailmaking). There are supply options directly in the port or in the nearby center of Helsingør.

 ÅLSGÅRDE:
The dinghy and small boat jetty approx. 3 nm northwest of Helsingør is not suitable for mooring yachts.

NV Land Guide

As the starting point of the world's largest regatta, Helsingør is known primarily to sailors. On up to 2,000 boats, 10,000 sailors compete to be the first to arrive back in Helsingør during the three-day "Zealand Tour". One day before the start of the regatta in mid-June, there is an absolute lack of space in the northern harbor with its 900 berths, even though it is one of the largest in the country. This is why Elsinore, as it is known in English,  should be avoided during the mammoth regatta. Nevertheless, the harbor is worth a visit for a number of sights - first and foremost the most beautiful Renaissance castle in the north, the unmissable Kronsburg immediately south of the harbor.

The forerunner of the mighty structure on the Öresund was a castle built around 1420 by Erich von Pommern, which soon became obsolete due to the rapid development of firearms. The Saxon master builder Hans von Dieskau was commissioned to build bastions around the castle in 1558. And King Frederick II commissioned Hans van Paeschen in 1574 and Antonius van Opbergen in 1578 to rebuild the castle in the Dutch Renaissance style. For just a few years, the castle was one of the most magnificent buildings of the 16th century before a major fire largely destroyed the Kronsburg in 1629. Although Christian IV had the castle rebuilt immediately, it served as barracks for many years and was therefore soon in need of renovation. It was thoroughly renovated in 1924.

The new, extremely impressive Danish Maritime Museum, integrated into an old dock, is located right next to the crown castle. It documents the history of shipbuilding and maritime trade. It also explains where Frederick II got the immense funds to finance the construction: from the Sound toll. Every ship that sailed through the Sound had to take down its flag and clear in at Helsingør. Erich of Pomerania had already introduced this duty, which remained a nuisance for shipowners and captains of other seafaring nations for over 400 years. However, cannons on both sides of the Sound left sailors with no choice but to pay.

Political pressure from European nations forced the abolition of the Sound toll in 1857. Under military pressure, the Swedes had already abolished customs duties in 1658. In the Peace of Roskilde, the Danish province of Skåne fell to the Swedes, making Helsingør a border town in one fell swoop. Sweden itself was now a Sundan littoral.

One of the most impressive rooms in the castle is the 63-metre-long Knights' Hall. Beneath the ramparts in the casemates, the Viking chieftain Holger Danske, a statue of mighty, dark stature, is waiting to save the Danes. According to legend, however, he only awakens when the country is in grave danger. In his drama "Hamlet", Shakespeare has the ghost of the Danish king pass by the guards on the walk-in bastions in front of the castle.

The furnishings in the King's Chamber and the Renaissance inventory in the castle church are also worth seeing. The original crew casemates can still be found under the inner fortress walls. A walk on and under the bastions is particularly recommended in the evening sun, when the occasional rays of sunlight bathe the corridors under the walls in yellow light in some places.

Helsingør has much more to offer than just the castle. You shouldn't leave without visiting Axeltorv (one kilometer southwest of the North Harbour). The large market square actually still fulfills the traditional function of a meeting place for young and old.

Southern flair comes to mind when people enjoy the square in the middle of the city of 45,000 inhabitants on beautiful summer days. In the summer months, there is a market on Wednesdays and Sundays and a large flea market on Fridays.

Sights near the market square include the well-preserved medieval town center of Helsingør, the town museum in the Carmelite House, the town hall and the churches of St. Olai and St. Mary. The glass mosaics in the Town Hall depict motifs from the city's history, in which Queen Margarethe I played a decisive role by uniting the three Nordic kingdoms in the Kalmar Union. The city benefited from its central position in this union. The queen also brought her great-nephew Erich of Pomerania (1412-1439) into the country as heir to the throne, whose customs policy brought the city enormous economic development.

The city museum in the old monastery buildings (600 meters south of the Nordhafen), which is open daily, has an extensive collection of historical craft tools, and St. Mary's Church impresses with its magnificent interior and the magnificent organ on which the world-famous baroque composer Dietrich Buxtehude played between 1660 and 1668. The musician's house can be visited at St. Annagade 6. Also in Annagade (21) is a club pub worth seeing with a beautiful courtyard for wandering journeymen.

In Strandgade and Stengade (pedestrian streets east of the market) in particular, there are a number of beautiful old houses to see. The pharmacy at Strandgade 77 dates back to 1577, while the district court at Strandgade 74 dates back to around 1530.

Marienlyst Castle, which serves as a museum, is located 700 meters west of the North Harbour. It was originally built in 1587 as a royal garden house. One of the exhibition themes is the Sundzoll. The rooms of the castle are also used for temporary art exhibitions. In Marienlyst Park you can see the "Hamlet Memorial Tomb", a granite sarcophagus created in 1926 by the sculptor Utzon Frank. The Maritime Museum at Ny Kronborgvej 1, which opened in 2013 and is right next to the Kulturværftet, is a must-see. Set up in an old dry dock, a ramp leads to the underground museum rooms, where Danish shipping history can be experienced.

One kilometer southwest of Marienlyst Castle, the Technical Museum displays means of transport from times gone by, including Ellehammer's 1906 plane and the Danish car "Hammelvognen" from 1886. Old railroads, streetcars and buses can also be seen, as well as technical equipment from the early days of science and industry.

The ferry and commercial port is a hive of activity. Kronborgvej to the south of the castle and Færgevej are very busy in the high season, with cars jammed with passengers wanting to cross over to the Swedish side of the Öresund (a 25-minute drive). There is not much of this in the northern harbor, although the harbor cannot be described as a quiet marina due to its size.

The dinghy and small boat jetty in Åalsgårde, three nautical miles northwest of Helsingør, is not suitable for keelboats. The outstanding sight here is Hammermølle, an old watermill two kilometers southwest of the jetty.

Marina Information

Contact

Surroundings

Electricity

Water

Toilet

Shower

Washing machine

Restaurant

Playground

Imbiss

Crane

Atm

Internet

Fuel

Grocery

Boatyard

Ramp

Public Transport

Garbage

Sewage