OVDE SPAVA HOLGAR DANSKI U mračnim dubinama za- mka, u katakombama u ko- jima vam jeza pomalo ula- zi u kosti, živi Holgar Danski, junak iz epske poezije. Na- stanio se u zamku Kronbor- gu, gde i danas spava du- bokim snom, spreman da se probudi i spase svoju domo- vinu Dansku od bilo kakve opasnosti. Ako pođete da ga posetite, budite tihi i obave- zno uzmite baterijsku lam- pu, koju su Danci, jer uvek misle na sve, obezbedili pre silaska u mrak.
OGIER THE DANE SLEEPS HERE
In the dark depths of the castle, in the catacombs where your bones tremble slightly, Ogier the Dane, a hero of epic poet- ry, lives. He settled in Kronborg Castle, where he still sleeps his deep sleep today, ready to awaken and save his home- land of Denmark from any per- il. If you plan to visit him, re- main quiet and be sure to take a torch, which the Danes, who always consider everything, will provide you with before you enter the darkness.
N o matter how unpleasant it may be for us to contradict the great William Shakespeare, there’s no way we could agree with his claim that“something is rotten in the state of Den- mark”! On the contrary, the place where this famous writer set Hamlet couldn’t be further from that claim. This is one of the most beau- tiful, and at one time among the most im- portant, European castles - Kronborg, which Shakespeare renamed Helsingør in Hamlet, after the city where it is located. This town in the very north is situated on the farthest peak of the island of Zealand, between Denmark and Sweden, which is a strategically important place, and was es- pecially so in the Middle Ages, when Dan- ish kings controlled entry and exit to the Bal- tic Sea and charged a tax for the passage of every ship. Those hesitant captains would quickly be convinced that it was easier to pay than to face the cannons turned sea- wards from all sides of Kronborg. The high peaks of this Renaissance beau- ty are visible as soon as you disembark from the train, after just a 45-minute trip from Co- penhagen. Surrounded by beautiful parks
and canals, when you enter the castle and head to the other side, facing the sea, you will see Sweden, located just four kilometres away. Ferries constantly transport people and goods, but once upon a time this loca- tion, thanks to its geographic position, gave strength and power to the kings of Denmark, which was then famous for its Kronborg. This is believed to be the reason why England and Shakespeare heard about it, and thus Hamlet was named as a Danish prince who lives in Helsingør. Historians, however, claim that the famous writer almost certainly never set foot in this place. They say that he could only have heard of it, because it was re- nowned for its strength, but also for the lav- ish parties that were attended by the most important people of the time. Regardless of the reality, tradition has it that the spirit of the young prince walks the halls of this build- ing every night, and within the castle they have marked the special place where Ham- let met the spirit of his father... Everything here commemorates Hamlet and that time. The line “To be or not to be, that is the question!”echoes here every year from the voices of actors who perform this famous English writer’s play for enthusiastic audienc- es. Testifying to how much Danes preserve their traditions is the Shakespeare Festival, which brings together numerous artists at Kronborg Castle every August. This castle’s story began in 1420, dur- ing the reign of Danish King Eric of Pomer- ania, though it only gained its present Re- naissance look and name during the time of King Frederick II, in 1585. Over the centu- ries it has served as a royal residence, a bar- racks and a prison. The building’s most fa- mous prisoner was Danish Queen consort Caroline Matilda of Wales. In light of its his- torical and cultural significance, Kronborg was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in the year 2000.
Shakespeare used Kronborg Castle in the north of the country as the setting for Hamlet, which he renamed Helsingør after the town where it is located
ta odajama ovog zdanja, a u dvorcu je posebno obeleženo i mesto na ko- jem je Hamlet sreo duh svog oca… Sve je ovde u znaku Hamleta i tog vremena. „Biti ili ne biti, pitanje je sad!“, odjekuju svake godine ovde glaso- vi glumaca koji pred oduševljenom publikom izvode komad čuvenog en- gleskog pisca. Koliko Danci drže do svoje tra- dicije, svedoči i Šekspir festival , ko- ji u prostoru dvorca Kronborg sva- kog avgusta okuplja brojne umetnike. Priča o zamku počinje 1420. go- dine, u vreme danskog kralja Erika Pomeranskog, mada mu je sadašnji renesansni izgled i ime 1585. godine dao tek kralj Frederik Drugi. Proteklih vekova bio je kako kra- ljevska rezidencija, tako i kasarna i za- tvor. Najpoznatija zatvorenica u ovom zdanju bila je danska kraljica Karo- lina Matilda od Velsa. Zbog istorij- skog i kulturnog značaja, Kronborg je 2000. godine stavljen na Unesko- vu listu svetske baštine.
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