North Zealand

[2] In addition to Kronborg Castle, three of the North Zealand forest areas used for royal par force hunting are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

[3] The region has generally been understood to cover the area north of Greater Copenhagen between the Isefjord to the west and the Øresund to the east.

[5] The largest urban centres in the region are Helsingør (population 61,519), Hørsholm (46,229), Hillerød (31,181), Birkerød (20,041), Farum (18,335), Frederikssund (15,725) and Frederiksværk (12,029).

[2] Frederikssund, known for its Viking Games held each summer, is also adjacent to the Hornsherred peninsula with opportunities for walking, cycling and sailing.

[8] The region has a history dating back at least to the 13th century as in 1231 Helsingør was mentioned in Valdemar's Census Book before obtaining privileges as a market town under Eric of Pomerania in 1426.

[9] From the Danish Reformation in 1536, the monarchy confiscated the extensive estates in North Zealand which had belonged to the monasteries gaining ownership of most of the region until the beginning of the 18th century.

Its redeveloped harbour area known as Kulturhavn Kronborg now houses the Danish Maritime Museum while Kulturværftet is a large venue for concerts and exhibitions.

[9][14] The second largest city Hillerød, in the centre of the region, is famous for Frederiksborg Palace built in the Renaissance style for Christian IV in the early 17th century.

[28] Some 12 km to the northwest is Gilleleje, Zealand's most northernmost point, which has grown from a little village in 1900 to a popular coastal resort with sandy beaches, an active fishing harbour and several museums.

[33][34] Tisvilde, 9 km southwest of Rågeleje, is a small town which since the Second World War has grown into another popular location for summer houses, thanks to its sandy beach at Tisvildeleje to the south and its chalk cliffs to the north.

[35][36] The heathery hills of Tibirke Bakker to the south of Tisvilde offer excellent views of the surroundings from a height of 57 m (187 ft).

[40] Other places of interest on the road to Helsingør include: Rungsted with exclusive villas, a marina and Karen Blixen's Rungstedlund;[41] Nivå with a coastal park, small harbour and the Nivaagaard art gallery;[42] Humlebæk, an old fishing village now famous for the modern art museum Louisiana;[43] and, just south of Helsingør, Snekkersten with its harbour and hotels.

[46] As for woodlands, Gribskov to the west of Esrum Sø is Denmark's oldest forest with the country's largest herd of deer.

[48] By contrast, Tisvilde Hegn, close to the northwest coast, was planted in the 19th century with Scots pine to combat drifting sands which had invaded the area.

[50] One of the main attractions of the area is the Mølleå Valley along the river which runs 36 km (22 mi) from the west of Bastrup Sø near Lynge to the Øresund between Taarbæk and Skodsborg.

There are several notable country houses overlooking the river and the lakes through which it passes as well as a series of historic water mills which contributed to Denmark's industrial development.

The factories operated until the 1950s after which they began to close, leaving buildings that were put to other uses such as the Brede Works, now an industrial museum, and the Strandmøllen paper mill.

[53] The region's major rail connections are the Coast Line (Kystbanen) between Copenhagen and Helsingør and three radials of the S-train network.

Part of the Oresundtrain network, Coast Line trains with frequencies of up to once every ten minutes serve Klampenborg, Skodsborg, Vedbæk, Rungsted Kyst, Kokkedal, Nivå, Humlebæk, Espergærde, Snekkersten and Helsingør.

[55] There are also frequent S-trains on the North Line between Copenhagen and Hillerød with stops at Jægersborg, Lyngby, Sorgenfri, Virum, Holte, Birkerød, Høvelte and Allerød.

[59] A small vehicle ferry operates regularly between Hundested and Rørvig in Odsherred across the channel leading into the Isefjord Roskilde Fjord.

Eckersberg who taught at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, from the mid-19th century a considerable number of painters went to Hornbæk where they painted real life in the open air.

[69] This was partly a result of 21 million Danish kroner in funding from the European Union designed to provide more focused attention to the area's potential for tourism.