Among the final sights to share are a couple of shots of the town of Hellsinger, which is a really great small city with tons of things to do as well as being quite picturesque; the Copenhagen Botanical Gardens; and our Swan Song dinner at a delicious Thai restaurant along the lake near our excellent apartment. What a grand city, and I earnestly hope I will return to Copenhagen in the future.
Self-Portrait in The Baltic Sea
We visited so many castles and palaces, that the history of the Danish realm became somewhat of a ponderable in our minds. As I’ve said before, I love stories of how we all have managed to get where we are today. And our visit to Kronborg Castle allowed some of the gaps to be filled and a few links to be forged. So if you are not the least bit interested in history, feel free to skip this entry. But I found it to be quite enlightening, so I thought I’d share.
Kronborg Castle Notes
When Kronborg Castle was completed in 1585, Frederik II moved into the building, and created his King’s Chamber. From this room, he could assure that ships out on the Sound paid their respects by lowering their topsails: (In a travel diary from 1593, a foreign visitor notes how, after dinner, he and the king sat looking out at the ships sailing past. One of the ships waited until four warning shots had been fired toward it before lowering the topsail). Because a large share of Frederik II’s and later Danish kings’ income came from the dues paid by ships passing through the sound, the king was personally interested in the respect shown to Kronborg.
Kronborg burned on an autumn night in 1629, but Christian IV, the king at that time, was determined to recreate its splendor. As Denmark’s reputation was at stake, money was no object. Kronborg was modernized during that renovation/rebuilding. Following that fire, and because of the restoration, King Christian IV commissioned a series of 84 drawings depicting heroic themes from Danish history. In addition to being used as preparatory studies for a graphic work extending chronologically from the earliest times of the realm to Christian IV’s era, the drawings were to be models of paintings to embellish the walls and ceilings of Kronborg’s Ballroom. Nine Dutch artists, who (with a single exception) were all associated with the famous Utrecht school of painters, were entrusted with the project.
Neither the graphic work nor the series of paintings was finished according to plan. Still, 44 drawings and 15 paintings in the series have been preserved. The paintings are damaged, however, because they were dismantled and taken to Sweden as spoils of war during the occupation of Kronborg in 1658-60. In Sweden, the paintings were scattered among various castles and manors, where they were mercilessly cut and trimmed whenever they did not fit into their new owners’ required spaces. Ironically, only the painting depicting the triumph of Queen Margrete I over King Albrecht of Sweden remained in Denmark. Today, it is displayed at Kronborg, in the Queen’s Chamber, along with three other paintings in the series that were returned to the castle during the 1900s. The paintings on display at Kronborg tell some of the history of Denmark.
The four paintings are described here.
Frode Fredegod Acclaimed by Many Kings
Dressed in an ermine cloak and with his crown and scepter, legendary King Frode III Fredegod, who allegedly reigned over Denmark in the period around the birth of Christ, sits on his throne. The artist depicted an aging king kneeling before Frode, expressing his submissiveness by placing his crown on the podium at the Danish King’s feet. On the steps of the podium, other crowns are evident, and a group of kings is in readiness to follow the kneeling king’s example.
In his famous Gesta Danorum (History of the Danes, c. 1200), Saxo Grammaticus, author of the narrative of Frode Fredegod, says that King Frode, after having conquered vast territories (including Great Britian and large parts of Germany), won such renown that numerous kings submitted themselves to him in pure awe. During the following thirty years, peace reigned in Frode’s empire, which secured him the familiar surname, Frodegod for “Long Peace.”
The so-called Frode Peace was thus the national counterpart of the emperor Augustus’s famous Pax Romana (Roman peace). In all respects, Saxo Grammaticus’ description of Frode’s reign was an attempt to present the Danish kingdom as a worthy equivalent of the Roman Empire. This was an idea that appealed very strongly to Christian IV.
Margrete I Receives the Swedish Crown from King Albrecht
As guardian of her son, Oluf (the issue of her marriage with the late Norwegian King Haakon VI), Margrete I (daughter of King Valdemar Atterdag), managed to take control of both Denmark and Norway. Oluf died in 1387, and they conveniently ignored the fact that his death meant the lapse of the legal basis for Margrete’s position of power. Nevertheless, Margrete succeeded in maintaining the power in both realms upon Oluf’s death, but she was challenged by the Swedish king, Albrecht of Meklenburg. His attempt to take over her realms, however, was unsuccessful, and he was defeated by the Queen’s armies in 1389, and both he and his son were taken prisoner.
The painting depicts Albrecht’s capture and surrender of the Swedish crown. It shows Margrete raising her scepter, indicating that she is placing the Swedish realm under her power. In the eyes of the Danish kings, the episode was the absolute pinnacle of Nordic history, as Margrete’s victory over Albrecht laid the foundation for the Danish-dominated Kalmar Union (1397-1523).
King Hans in the Battle for Rotebro Before Stockholm
This episode of Danish history, from the reign of King Hans (1481-1512), constitutes the historical apogee of the union policy of the Oldenburg kings. In an earlier attempt to force rebellious Sweden under the Danish-dominated Kalmar Union (founded by Queen Margrete I in 1397), Christian I, King Hans’s predecessor on the Dano-Norwegian throne, had suffered a defeat at the battle of Brukeberg (1471). Christian I never succeeded in reconquering Sweden, but the decisive victory at Rotebro in 1497 laid open the road to Stockholm, where his son, King Hans, triumphantly received the Swedish crown. He had thus taken revenge over his father’s defeat and restored the Kalmar Union.
The crowning ceremony in Stockholm immediately after the victory at Rotebro is the subject of another painting in the Kronborg series (not on display here, but rather in Sweden, at Vittskövle Castle). Christian IV’s enthusiasm for the themes depicted in the series is easy to understand, as they glorify a time in history when Denmark held the dominant position of power in the Nordic countries. In reality, the balance of power had already tipped at the time the series was commissioned and painted, and by an irony of fate, the paintings we taken as spoils of war les than two decades later, and transported to Sweden.
King Frederik I Before the Besieged Copenhagen
Accompanied by three riders, one of whom is barely visible due to a later trimming of the canvas, Frederik I on horseback inspects the besieged city of Copenhagen. He points with his sword to a map of the city, indicating to his lieutenants where their efforts to breach the city’s fortifications should be strengthened. The towering city is shown in the background, while workers in the middle distance are seen to be digging attack entrenchments.
What led up to the war was the Imperial Council’s deposition of Christian II in 1523, due to several accusations of injustices and abuses of power. Frederik, the paternal uncle of Christian II, was elected to replace him, and he would soon control most of the country, even though Christian II still had many loyal followers. Christian II went into exile in the Netherlands, but behind the ramparts of Copenhagen, his sworn adherents managed to hold out for 8 months, confident that the deposed king would return with an army to dethrone Frederik I. But the anticipated reinforcements failed to turn up, and after 8 months of siege, a starving Copenhagen had to surrender to Frederik, in January of 1524.
So that’s a fair summary of Danish history until the 16th century, and even though I have the succession plan written down from there forward, I will spare you those dates and names. Suffice it to say that the Danes seem to alternate Christians and Frederiks for the most part through the Danish kings’ history. For the record, the lighting was so poor on the paintings that I was unable to get actual pix of them with my iPhone, although I managed one or two decent ones with the real camera.
Back to Kronborg, however. In 1760, the north wing of Kronborg was renovated to reflect the tastes of the era: stucco ceilings were installed and the black and white tile of the floors was replaced with wood, and other decorative changes inspired by French Rococo and with the era’s fascination with anything Oriental were made.
Despite the modernization, the castle became inconvenient for the royal family. Frederik V (1723-1766) was the last king to reside at Kronborg. The military took the facilities over in 1785; then abandoned it; and by 1991, they also had withdrawn from the perimeter areas.
Here are some pix of and from the castle.
These are ceiling beams in the Ballroom uncovered when the decorative wooden panels (similar to those in the chapel) were removed. In its day, the Ballroom at Kronborg was the largest in Scandinavia.
The Kronborg Tapestries
The 7 tapestries of kings in the Little Hall belonged to a series of 43 tapestries originally commissioned by King Frederik II for the ballroom of Kronborg in 1581. A total of 100 Danish kings are depicted on the tapestries, which were made in Elsinore (Hellsinger) under the prudent management of Hans Knieper from Antwerp. One can think of the tapestries as a portrait gallery capturing the distinctions of a royal family. 14 king tapestries, along with 1 of 3 complementary hunting tapestries, survive today.
One I found particularly interesting. A quiet peasant scene and a group of hunters on foot or mounted on horses is seen in the background. This apparently idyllic life is sharply juxtaposed with verses imbedded in the tapestry, including the line: For kingship I did crave/thus my brother I sent to the grave. The wildlife in the foreground carry a hidden symbolism, referring to Abel’s dreadful deed.
On the left side of the king is a falcon, which has put its talons on a small bird while a poisonous snake is quietly slipping away in the shrubbery below.
Historians think the scene is based on the classical theme of “The eagle fighting the snake,” which symbolizes the struggle between good and evil. In this instance, evil, in the form of the snake, slips away while the falcon grips the powerless bird.
“Historically, the evil king was himself killed in an uprising, only two years after the ruthless assassination of his brother,” says the plaque. And with a little bit of further study, I found a link from this tapestry, and the Cain and Abel story to Hamlet (Kronborg is called “Hamlet’s Castle”).
The actual story of Hamlet is based on Danish sources. The core of the story dates back to Saxo’s comprehensive chronicle of the exploits of the Danes, Gesta Danorum written around 1200 and printed in 1514.
The brutal tale centers on the brothers, Orvendil and Fengi, who rule over Jutland under the reign of King Rorik of Denmark. Orvendil weds the king’s daughter Geruth, and they give birth to a son, Amleth. In his chronicle, Saxo describes how Fengi (the fratricide) murders Orvendil and marries his brother’s widow to seize the throne (sound familiar, English Majors?). In fear of his uncle’s next move, Amleth pretends to be insane. It saves his life, and he takes the opportunity to avenge his father’s death.
Hamlet’s link to Kronborg
The castle and Elsinore (today the town/city that is the home of Kronborg is called Hellsinger, but in Shakespeare’s time, it was Elsinore) provide a colorful backdrop for the tragedy of Prince Hamlet of Denmark. But why did Shakespeare choose to set his play at Kronborg? The name Kronborg is not mentioned in the play, but the events take place at the “Castle of Elsinore.”
Rumors of Frederik II’s newly-built castle, and the sumptuous festivities that took place there, must have reached England. By about 1600, Elsinore was known throughout the world, and the Danish king had just completed his magnificent Renaissance castle. The fortifications and impressive royal residence clearly demonstrated the king’s power to friends and enemies alike.
In the play there are many details about life at the castle and in the town, which might indicate that Shakespeare had visited Elsinore. We know that some of the actors who later joined his theater troupe performed at Kronborg in 1585-6. And in the 1590s, there are several years during Shakespeare’s life when his whereabouts are unaccounted for. So it isn’t unthinkable that he visited Kronborg, or at least the town, even if scholars and historians are not in agreement.
While it is unlikely that Shakespeare read Gesta Danorum, the story of the Danish prince who avenges his father’s murder by his brother was read and embellished and retold throughout Europe during the 1500s. Around 1590, the dramatist Thomas Kyd gave the work the action and adventure of a revenge drama, which likely inspired Shakespeare to write The Tragical History of Hamlet: Prince of Denmark around 1600. With this treatment, Saxo’s legendary prince was made immortal.
Of course, Hamlet is the most famous play of all time, having been quite popular already in Shakespeare’s time.
In the play, the audience witnesses Hamlet’s dilemma: the spirit of his murdered father appears before him and demands blood vengeance. Tradition and duty put Hamlet in an impossible position – must he follow the medieval dogma of revenge (an eye for an eye)? Or should he behave like a modern, Renaissance man, and tear himself from the past, to look always toward the future?
Hamlet struggles with transitional challenges, he must choose between two different views of the world, and is thus forced to reflect on his own identity and existence. Hamlet embarks on a lonesome journey inside himself, in an effort to slip the bonds of heritage and environment. He wants to create his own identity, that beyond his father’s, and also be true to his own ideals and sustain his dreams for his imagined future.
As a passage to adulthood, he must make his own choices and take that difficult next step; take responsibility for those choices. These themes are timeless and have survived the test of the ages, where any character in literature or drama who struggles with questions of liberty, identity, and the network of nature and nurture that irrevocably connects our pasts and our futures, is, in fact, another Hamlet.
Due to a combination of spotty Internet access and long, exhausting days tramping around Copenhagen and its environs, I have fallen behind in my postings to keep friends and family up to date.
We spent the entirety of yesterday training and ferrying our way the enormous distance south from Copenhagen to Munich and Dachau, with the plan to spend our last day around the memorial and the city of Dachau (today), and we fly home tomorrow (Tuesday). The rains had returned to Copenhagen, so again, we left town, but it was a lovely train trek south.
A few halfway decent pix of the German countryside from the train.
But to back up a little, let us reverse direction and center ourselves in Copenhagen, where we were delighted to be surprised by the docking of brother Page’s ship, MS-Europa, at the harbor that Bertel walked us through (near the little mermaid statue) on our second day, which he said we must re-visit when we had more time, including a tavern/café called Toldboden, near a wacky sculpture of a man pondering.
DJ in his booth at the Toldboden
Page was only there from about noon to 6-ish, and we were way up the coast at a lovely place called Helsinger, home of the Louisiana Museum of Contemporary Art and the castle on which Shakespeare based his setting of Elsinore Castle in Hamlet, which I’ll tell all about in a following post. So we had to race back to catch Page, communicating via email and cell phone along the way for status reports.
We just managed it, enough for Page to have finished only half his beer (more for us!) — after hugs, photo ops, and the ordering of the round of beverages — before he was called aboard the ship for departure. It was amazing that we managed to link up with him across the continents and oceans, if only for about a half-hour.
When he left his beer to the delicate protection of his family, he appeared back on the ship, above the passenger balconies, on a deck towering from the waterline (and us) and we exchanged some additional shouts, another cell phone call, and lousy photos (mine, anyway). Then the enormous departure horn was sounded and they powered away, Page waving at us, and we reciprocating until vision blurred with tears and the strain of distance. Bon voyage, Page!
This is an incredible city. Among other adventures available is a highly recommended canal tour, which we took and thoroughly enjoyed. More Copenhagen sights:
King Christian IV of Denmark built Rosenborg in 1606-34 as a summer castle. He designed much of this Dutch Renaissance style castle himself. The next three generations of kings lived here, until King Frederik IV erected Frederiksborg Castle in 1710. From then on, Rosenborg was used only for occasional visits and certain official functions. It also became a sort of storehouse, where royal family heirlooms, including the regalia, crown jewels, and thrones, were kept.
Rosenborg is unique for its long museum tradition. As early as 1838 these royal collections were opened to the public. The rooms which remained intact from those kings who had lived in them (Christian IV to Frederik IV) were preserved, while rooms from the times of later kings were recreated using the various objects stored at Rosenborg and other royal castles. Most museums of the time were arranged thematically, by portraits, furniture, etc., so the decision to arrange the collections chronologically, giving visitors an overall picture of the nation’s history, was entirely new.
The museum was expanded to its present form in the 1860s, with rooms representing each king up to Frederik VII, who died in 1863. It thus became the First museum of contemporary culture in Europe.
The castle is surrounded by a lovely green space with formal gardens as well as public areas for picnics and gatherings, and several public art/design installations. While there is admission to the castle and Crown Jewels rooms, the park area around the castle is public.
Dueling pistols made by S. Colt and engraved by G. Young and Joseph Wolf, given by Abraham Lincoln to the Danish King Frederik VII in 1861.
Started our first Post-Bertel (PB) day in Copenhagen with a visit to the main train station and the downtown tourist info office. Jack and I got reserved seats on our train out of town; and all four of us got Copenhagen Cards. For the equivalent of 75 Euros, we pre-paid for three days worth of public transport, museum admissions, gardens, church admissions, canal tours, and more. I highly recommend it, if you visit. You can get 2 or more days, it starts when you use it for the first time and is good up until the same hour on the subsequent day for which you have purchased the card. Hardly anything is excluded from the Card, so it doesn’t take many bus or subway rides plus admission fees to begin saving money.
Wandered all around the downtown pedestrian walkway and canal areas, where the toney folks shop. Did some grocery shopping and ended the day with Ini fixing us a superb salmon dinner, with a beetroot salad, and boiled potatoes. What a feast!
Paper making!
Stacked bicycle parking!
Backstory: I’ve heard about Mary Dashiell’s Danish friend, Bertel, for years. They met as emerging adults and have kept in touch for decades. When an enormous party was recently thrown for a significant Mary-Milestone, Bertel surprised her by crossing the Atlantic to attend. That was the first and only time I’d met Bertel, but we got on right away and I knew we’d be friends.
As Copenhagen 2013 came together in our travel plans, I began a correspondence with Bertel via Facebook and email to see if we might connect (Bertel travels quite a bit and in fact spent much of 2012 in France). As the days counted down, we set times and dates to link up. Being a cell phone neophyte, I somehow couldn’t get a call through once we were in his beautiful city, so we emailed like mad with moment-by moment updates and plans, etc.
After a long walk to his neighborhood, our extraordinary adventure on our second day in Copenhagen began.
First we met Mikael, who is the principal behind the art gallery that was our meeting spot (Galerie Mikael Andersen), and also Bertel’s partner. Mikael was gracious and welcoming, but was unable to accompany us on our day because he has a significant opening at his Berlin gallery, for which he had to be ready by Friday. He was leaving within hours of our arrival to begin the hanging and installations there.
Then Bertel told his what he had planned for us. First, a tour of his and Mikael’s city apartment, just down from the gallery. I should mention that their apartment is stuffed with art and sculptures, and is a private gallery in its own right. The building and flat themselves aren’t any too shabby, either. The gallery and apartment are located in a district of the city made bourgeois by the royal family moving to the area back when the original palace burned (unsure of the date). When they took up residence in the area, the well-to-do of all stripes also moved north to be with/near the royals. Before that, the area was used for military housing and etc.
Second: a pastry and coffee then off to a tour of the district, including the Amatienborg Palace where the King and Queen (Prince Consort?) of Denmark reside. Mikael had a significant hand in decorating several of the wings of the various living quarters with contemporary Danish art. We also caught the tag end of the changing of the guard. (For the photos of the general area, see the previous post).
Then we waked along the harbor stretch, seeing the new opera house, shipping lanes, more public art, and the famous little mermaid statue, which was positively crawling with tourists, so I was unable to get any kind of a photo. At the end of the harbor, we headed to Copenhagen Citadel, a fortress area that is preserved and still used today for military housing, training, and admin. A lovely church is near there, and more public art and fountains, etc. On the grounds is also a new memorial to those who fought and died during Denmark’s participation in recent wars, including Afghanistan, Iraq, and such. Very peaceful and calming place.
Then came the coup de grâce: Bertel drove us an hour north of the city to his and Mikael’s summer house for a late lunch. Wow. The house is some 50 meters above the sea along a stellar coastline. Very quiet, with a remote feel even though we were surrounded by homes of similar use. A decent translation of the place’s name is “Thicket House.” Beautiful gardens, lovely setting — it was so very peaceful and inspiring. He laid out a traditional Danish picnic type meal, with a true smorgasbord of thises and thats. Across the road is another property they use for promising young artists to stay in, by invitation only, to have a peaceful, simple working space/time.
After a coffee, sweet, and more conversation and storytelling, plus the sighting of a fox hunting along the steep, grassy cliff face, and a deer watching our departure, we packed back into the car and Bertel left us off at Frederiksborg Castle (some pix backed by a lowering sky in the previous post are those we took at the end of the day), in the town of Hillerød, and we were left, just as it began sprinkling the least bit, to see the amazing grounds and buildings, and to make our way to the train headed back into the city. We finally got home at 9PM.
Dear Bertel: thank you from the bottoms of our hearts for your generous, delightful spirit and everything (including your valuable time), that you shared with us. It was truly unforgettable.
Hugs!
Arrived late afternoon Monday and linked up with Ini and Lee right as we cleared customs. Puzzled about the metro system for a while, then puzzled some more about the self-serve kiosks for buying tickets. Just as our flight landed, it had begun to rain. As we got on the train, it began to pour.
We were quickly in our new neighborhood, and a very short trudge through the rain from the station landed us in our new apartment building. Our hostess, Lene and her daughter Sonya, arrived with the keys and instructions. What a spectacular apartment!
We wandered out for a coffee by the nearby lake, and wound our way back to the apartment through an ethnic neighborhood with wonderful vege markets on the street. We purchased some stuff for dinner and tomorrow’s breakfast, ate well, shared wine, and hit the sack early.
I’d tried to get a call through to Bertel, with whom we’ve arranged to meet on our second day, so he might steer us to the best “gotta-do’s” for which we have time, but something went awry and he didn’t get my messages. Last emails of the night were exchanged between us to set up a meet for the following AM at Mikael’s gallery (Galerie Mikael Andersen).
Here are some sights and sounds of our Copenhagen adventure so far (no pix from our short, rainy walks).
En route to Copenhagen for our connection to Malmo, our stop for the night, and our first “official” night of our Baltic Adventure. We should arrive in the early afternoon, and be able to rent a bike for a bit of touring.
Seen fr the train:
Four cranes in a dewy pasture – gray with (I think) a strip of red on the heads
Went thru Lubeck (w/an umlat over the ‘u’), Germany, for which Lubbock, TX is named; thought about Bob & Bretza Mooty
8:21: first sighting of the Baltic Sea
A buteo (buzzard? redtail?) sitting on a fence post)
A thatched-roof house
HUGE wind turbines
Crows in the stubblefields: I’m looking forward to flying CJ again
A deer in a stubblefield
Puttgarden, last stop in Germany; next, we ride the train onto the ferry, leave the train for the 45 min. crossing (hoping I don’t get seasick), then re-enter the train for the rest of the ride to Copenhagen
Re-board the train and exit the ferry at Rodby, Denmark (there’s a Danish slash thru the ‘o’ in Rodby) – should be lots of water to be seen during the 2-hour ride to Copenhagen
A half-buried building, like a bunker, with the sea-facing side totally underground, and the train-facing side half-exposed
Acres and acres of small greenhouses, or maybe big greenhouses with small roofs – covering rows and rows of plants, reminiscent of Netherlands
Now we begin the countdown to our Baltic Cycling Adventure.
Yesterday, I did laundry, etc., etc. All the details you have to mind when a trip is ended. We are also in the midst of a rebuilding project that is about a month behind schedule, due to the rains. We are replacing my hawk enclosures with new ones, plus attaching a building to them, where I can store all my falconry gear. Before the hawks were in one place and the gear was partly in our basement, and partly in the old farmhouse that is teetering toward the end of its lifetime.
When I left for WI, the house was in place and we had seeded the slopes of the fill used to level the site. Here’s what it looked like when I got home:
My honey had erected most of one enclosure, and even had the wire and lattice up! Wonderful. So yesterday, we worked on getting the jump box installed, and I put on the last coat of paint, added the perches, etc.
Today, we took the “first in a long time” training bicycle ride – one of our short runs along the Blue Ridge Parkway heading south to Round Meadow (about a 12-mile round trip). Here are some of the sights along the way:
peregrinations 