The history of the Sound Tolls

Oresund’s location as the entrance to the Baltic Sea has had significant impact on Denmark’s history as a kingdom. Danish kings earned great sums on imposing a toll that went straight into the Danish state coffers.

In 1429, king Erik VII af Pommern (Erik of Pomerania) imposed a toll for all non-Danish ships wanting to sail through the narrow passage between Zealand (Helsingør) and Scania (Helsingborg), which was part of Denmark up until 1658. If a ship refused to pay, the powerful cannons at Kronborg castle were fired to force them to pay.

During his reign, Erik VII built Ørekrog, the predecessor of Kronborg, which supervised the toll together with the castle Kernen in Helsingborg. The fortress of Malmøhus was also built to strengthen the king’s power over the passage.

It was at Helsingør that the ships waited to pay their tolls. The photo shows the old customs house where the clearance of the ships took place. After the loss of Scania in 1658, Danish kings still held enough power over the Sound to be able to continue collecting the toll from the Danish coast for another 200 years until it was abolished in 1857.

The Sound Tolls made Helsingør famous around the world, and this might be the reason that Shakespeare chose Kronborg as Hamlet’s home. However, the Tolls also resulted in major conflicts and several wars that took their own toll on Denmark. In more than one instance, both superpowers and Denmark itself have used the Tolls as a bargaining chip.

Following international pressure at a trade conference in 1857, Denmark decided to abolish the Tolls. Part of the basis for the decision was the offer of a compensation of 33.5 million rix-dollars, equivalent to 67 million Danish kroner. The amount covered around 12 years’ income. One of the countries that was to pay part of the amount was Brazil – however, this never happened. In 2007, then Prime Minister of Denmark, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, cancelled Brazil’s debt.

Every year in August, Helsingør sets the stage for a realistic Sound Tolls Market as it would have taken place in the 19th century. Here, you can experience how the Sound Tolls made their special mark on the town of Helsingør. More than 150 people fill the harbour square wearing historical dress, and you can buy interesting goods in the trade booths and see historical crafts performed by the blacksmith, the bookbinder and the shoemaker. Enjoy a dish of labscouse and drink Dutch gin and skibsøl – a kind of Danish ale – on the side, while you watch soldiers march through the square with a backdrop of historical wooden ships and smack dinghies.

You get to use your sense of smell as well, as the scents of cheese, cordage, tar, horses, freshly smoked herring and the sea bring you back to life in Helsingør in the 19th century.

Read more about the Sound Tolls Market here (website in Danish).

Sources: online history of Denmark Danmarkshistorien.dk (website in Danish) and encyclopaedia of local history Helsingør Leksikon (website in Danish)

Photo: M/S Museet for Søfart (Maritime Museum of Denmark). The customs building in Helsingør. Location of the clearance for the Sound Tolls.

Coordinates:  Latitude: 56.037931
Longitude: 12.654098