ARCHIPELAGOES - Denmark

Castle Harbour
Incredible as it may sound, the town had no harbour at that time. For part of the 16th and 17th centuries Kronborg Castle had a small harbour which had over the years become silted up and the site subsequently used for the extended fortification works.

Quays
Since ancient times, Helsingør had had a number of jetties or quays of which Toldbodbroen (the Tollbooth Quay) or Byens Broe (the Town Quay) was the oldest and most important. Further westwards was Byefogdens Broe (the Bailiffs' Quay) or Engelske Broe (the English Quay) at the main gates of the town opposite what is now known as Hovedvagtsstræde.

The first harbour
A small harbour was first built in 1764-67, when the old Toldbodbro (the Tollbooth Quay) was tripled in length to 186 feet long and an additional 150-ft. south pier was built. The north pier at 136 feet was an extension of the harbour road, Havnegade. The dock was relatively small and was located on the site of the current ferry berths.

Sundtoldkvarteret (the Sound Toll Quarter) c. 1800. The modest harbour was constructed in 1764-67. Øresunds Toldkammer (the Øresund Customs House) on the right was built in 1740-42 while the town's tollbooth (on the left) was built in 1781. The map is based in part on Christopher Lønborg's not always accurate town plan of 1803, now housed at Helsingør Bymuseum (the Helsingør Museum).

The harbour was funded by the Government but was handed over to Helsingør City Fathers on 21 December 1767 for subsequent maintenance.

It was of course universally agreed that the harbour was a great asset to the town, but it was also agreed that the harbour was too small and far too shallow to allow large ships to bring their cargo right in.

Marina

Position

Adress

Information

Helsingør,

Nordhavnen

Nordhavnsvej 13
DK-3000 Helsingør

Tel +45 4920 0066
Fax +45 4921 0399

Helsingør,

Statshavnen

56°2'1 N

12°37'2 E

Sophie Brahesgade 1
DK-3000 Helsingør

Tel +45 4921 0457

The Port of Elsinore lies just south of Kronborg Castle at 56°2'1 North and 12°37'2 East. The Port Office provides a 24-hour service. The port office is permanently tuned in to VHF channel 12, and ships leaving or entering the port are required to contact the port authorities on this channel for permission to leave/enter the port.

Observance of this procedure is vital, as the port is a very busy ferry port, with a ferry arriving every 8 minutes. There are 3 ferry companies with a total of 10 ferries transporting approx. 14 million passengers annually between Elsinore and Helsingborg.

There is also an excellent pleasure port benefiting from its proximity to Hamlet's castle, Kronborg, which provides the best backdrop imaginable for all the types of ship, which call at the port. Every year the port welcomes cruise vessels, old wooden vessels, schooners, ketches etc. The fact that the port is an extension of the town's main street, Stengade, is an additional advantage for both the town and the port. Shipboard tourists can easily walk up into the town to go shopping, and the townsfolk can just as easily nip down to the port and savour the international atmosphere.

The Port of Elsinore is a commercial port, with all the associated advantages for the local business community, whose goods can be carried in the most environmentally friendly way to the port and loaded directly onto lorries for the last short leg of the journey.