The slow walk up to the castle offers an opportunity to take in umpteen sights: the Harbour Square, surrounded by Elsinore’s Latin Quarter; the Svea Pillar, which commemorates Sweden’s help to Danish refugees during World War II; and St Olaf’s Church, some parts of which date to the 13th century.

I walk past the colourful boats and dinghies in the harbour and find myself in front of a polished steel sculpture of a young man sitting in the mermaid pose. Created by Elmgreen & Dragset, Han, which translates into “He” in English, clearly references Edvard Eriksen’s The Little Mermaid sculpture in Copenhagen.

Kronborg Slot, as Kronborg Castle is known in Danish, hasn’t opened its doors to visitors yet, but a kindly guide lets us in for a tour. He tells us that a castle, first credited to Erik VII of Pomerania, has existed at Helsingør since 1420.

“Between 1574 and 1585, Frederik II rebuilt the extravagant castle in Dutch Renaissance style to showcase his wealth and power. Much of the castle was reconstructed, largely along the lines of the original design, by Christian IV after a fire heavily damaged it in 1629,” he says.

Kronborg Castle in Elsinore – the anglicised name for Helsingør – exudes power and elegance. “The location of the structure made it strategically important as it spanned the head of the Øresund Sound, a strait that separates Zealand (Denmark) from Scania (Sweden) and forms the Danish–Swedish border. Ships passing into the Baltic Sea had to pay tolls at Kronborg, making Helsingør one of the most important and richest towns in Europe,” the guide says.

In the old castle, a high curtain wall had wall walks and a gatehouse that encompassed three large stone buildings: the royal residence, the palace and ceremonial hall, and a building that probably contained the chapel. The rebuild followed the plan of its predecessor, with the addition of a great cannon tower and new floors. The castle, originally showcasing red brick walls and sandstone detailing, was faced with sandstone in the 16th century. The roof tiles were replaced with copper.

“Christian IV’s rebuilding included numerous changes to the dormers and the spires. In the royal apartments, new door frames, fireplaces, and ceiling paintings were added along with ceiling paintings by Gerrit van Honthorst,” the guide says as I take in the grandeur of the castle. It could be foreboding and gloomy on a wintry day, making it the perfect place for the events that unfold in Hamlet.

In the ballroom, a “masterpiece of the Netherlandish Renaissance”, the King ordered ceiling paintings to complement the tapestries spotlighting heroic episodes from Denmark’s history.

Kronborg became renowned as one of the finest castles of the Renaissance. Sailors, businessmen, diplomats, and aristocrats spoke of the magnificent castle and court in Elsinore, with its pomp, spectacle, and splendour. It was also renowned for its decadent parties, some of which lasted for days.

“It was so talked about that news travelled across the ocean to England and inspired Shakespeare to use the castle as the setting for his drama, Hamlet,” the guide tells us as we reach a wall where a small panel set into the sandstone wall and showcasing Shakespeare’s likeness reveals the connection.

Shakespeare wrote The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark between 1599 and 1601. His longest play, it tells the story of Prince Hamlet and his attempts to exact revenge against his uncle, Claudius, who murders Hamlet’s father to seize his throne and marry Hamlet’s mother. Set in Denmark and among the “most powerful and influential tragedies in the English language”, its influences are many: the anonymous Scandinavian Saga of Hrolf Kraki, the Roman legend of Brutus, and the story of Icelandic hero Amlóði. Another theory suggests that Shakespeare may have been influenced by an earlier play, Ur-Hamlet, which incorporated a ghost. Danish historian and author Saxo Grammaticus’s work on the legend of Amleth is also said to be an inspiration.

Wherever Shakespeare got his inspiration from, the British playwright made Kronborg Castle the setting of his play, calling it Elsinore. This has become the English name for Helsingør, the town that’s home to Hamlet’s castle.

Kronborg Castle made it to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000, and has grown in popularity since. About 325,000 people visit it every year, many of them signing up for special tours such as ‘The Secrets of Kronborg’ and ‘Hamlet’s Castle’.

The Hamlet connection continues to be the biggest draw, with performances adding to the castle’s appeal. In 1816, amateur actors performed Hamlet for the first time at Kronborg to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. 100 years later, the Danish Royal Theatre followed that up with a tribute performance. By 1937, the performances became a recurring event, and are now organised every July and August as the HamletScenen Shakespeare Festival.

The festival claims the longest-standing continuous Shakespeare performance tradition in the world. The tradition also includes Shakespeare Open Air Cinema and Shakespeare in Concert, along with workshops, lectures, master classes and play performances. Numerous storied performers have played Hamlet down the decades, including Laurence Olivier, Christopher Plummer, John Gielgud, Derek Jacobi, Kenneth Branagh, David Tennant, and Jude Law.

I try imagining how the turreted square of the castle will look when the play that made it famous across the world is performed. The atmosphere is electric, the guide says.

Later, we troop down into the basement to meet Holger the Dane, also known as Holger Danske. A prominent figure in Danish mythology and folklore, Holger sits asleep in Kronborg. “We believe that the statue will sit still in the casemates. He will awaken to defend Denmark the day his nation is in trouble,” the guide says.

Apart from the basement, the fictional prince Hamlet makes his presence felt everywhere in Helsingør: at Hotel Hamlet next to the train station and the ferries; at Marienlyst Strandhotel, which lets you relax in an infinity pool with Kronborg Castle in the background; and at the so-called grave of Hamlet, a granite monument shaped like a sarcophagus. Located in the park behind Marienlyst Castle, the memorial grave for Shakespeare’s fictional prince was erected in 1926 during Helsingør’s 500-year jubilee. The monument, designed by Einar Utzon-Frank, has a sealion-like animal – symbolising the masculine (Hamlet) on one side and a cornucopia – symbolising the feminine (Ophelia) – on the other.

As I walk the streets of the charming coastal town, I recall Shakespeare’s oft-quoted line: “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” I can’t help but think otherwise. Nothing seems rotten in the state of Denmark! Certainly not at Helsingør and Kronborg Castle.

Teja Lele is an independent editor and writes on books, travel and lifestyle.