Explore National Park Kongernes Nordsjælland
263 km2 in total with deep forests, large lakes, rolling landscapes and cultural tracks from the past. There are many small destinations to discover. Explore the national park and experience the breath of nature and the presence of history.
Kronborg Castle
Kronborg was built as a fortification to control the Sound tolls. However, Kronborg is not only an imposing fortress, but also a spectacular Renaissance castle. Its walls have witnessed myriad historic events – it was here, for example, that Queen Caroline Mathilde was imprisoned after her affair with Struensee, the king’s physician. Kronborg is undeniably a site of immense cultural value, so much so that it was added to UNESCO’s world heritage list in 2000. Kronborg is also renowned worldwide as the setting of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Par force hunting landscape: Kongestjernen (The King's Star)
One form of hunting in particular has left its stamp on the Store Dyrehave deer park: par force hunting. Originating in France, this form of hunting was introduced to Denmark by King Christian V towards the end of the 17th century. The eight straight paths that met here imposed structure on the hunt and the terrain. While the king and his company waited at a central location in the hunting landscape, 20-30 horsemen with hounds drove a deer to exhaustion through the forest. When the deer no longer had the energy to run, it was held down by the hounds, after which the king killed it with his ‘hirschfänger’ – a short sword.