Training camp begins in Shakespearean Helsingør

Helsingør is a place of worldwide renown. The Danish coastal town is best known thanks to William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. As the tragedy does not exactly paint the brightest picture, we will instead turn our attention to another historic landmark in Helsingør: the Marienlyst Strandhotel, which regularly serves as the Danish national team’s base during international camps. The hotel is now home to the Hamburger SV contingent for four days, as the team complete their first pre-season training sessions away from the Volksparkstadion and on unfamiliar ground.

However, the connection between HSV and Denmark is anything but unfamiliar. The bond between Hamburg and Denmark is stronger than almost any other. This is already clear when looking at the map: just 157 kilometres separate the Volksparkstadion from the Danish border. No other neighbouring country is closer to the Rothosen. On the pitch, too, numerous Danish footballers are linked with some of the greatest achievements in HSV’s history. Ole Bjørnmose was the first Dane to play for HSV and won the DFB Cup with the club in 1976, followed a year later by the European Cup Winners’ Cup. Lars Bastrup was part of the team that lifted the European Cup in 1983, the biggest trophy in the club’s history. Later, further icons such as Stig Tøfting and Thomas Gravesen also left their mark in Hamburg. In total, 14 Danes have represented HSV – only the Netherlands, with 17 players, has provided more foreign players for the club.