A Castle Within a Castle

The Danish Film Museum presents:

A CASTLE WlTHlN A CASTLE Krogen and Kronborg

For over 350 years, Kronborg has stood at the entrance to the Sound.

On the other side of the narrow sound there used to be a fortress,

which controlled entry together with Kronborg.

Passing ships had to pay a sound toll.

Frederik ll built the Eenaissance castle at the end of the 1 6th century

with money raised by the sound toll.

ln spite of sieges, wars, and fires,

the external castle has survived unchanged for over three centuries.

But all these years, it has guarded a secret known only by a few:

inside the walls of Kronborg lies another, older castle.

lt was called Krogen and was built by Erik of Pommern in around 1 420.

This ground plan shows Kronborg as built by Frederik ll

and as it looks today.

And here is a ground plan of Erik of Pommern's castle, Krogen.

Both are square and cover the exact same area.

During the great restoration from 1 926 to 1 935,

a number of newer floor and room divisions were removed.

During the last century, Kronborg was an army garrison,

and the idea was to recreate the castle built by Frederik ll.

Here, the great hall has been restored to its original form.

The whole castle has undergone a thorough restoration.

Newer walls have been removed, and many hidden details uncovered.

The work revealed much masonry to be older than Frederik ll's castle.

And so Erik of Pommern's castle Krogen was discovered.

The wall remnants were measured and registered,

and piece by piece, Kronborg yielded its secret.

lt became clear what Erik of Pommern's castle had looked like.

The entrance was at exactly the same place as the present gateway.

To the left of it was the steward's house.

lt was a small, half-timbered house for the bailiff and the gunners.

To the right of the gateway was a larger building.

ln an old description it is referred to as the ''Eoyal Majesty's House''.

This is where the king stayed when visiting Krogen.

There were two rooms: a front room

and a long hall divided by a row of wooden columns.

This hall has been taken back to its original state.

The columns support a heavy middle girder under the ceiling.

At the opposite end of the hall there is an unusual, round window.

Viewed in cross-section, the window is shaped like an hourglass.

At the time, it overlooked the courtyard.

On the inside of the window, frescoes have been uncovered.

ln the middle are the arms of Christ with the instruments of the Passion.