Dronningmølle

Since 2010 Dronningmølle has grown together with its neighbouring town Hornbæk in Helsingør Municipality to form an urban area with a combined population of 5,330 as of 1 January 2024. Hornbæk proper had a population of 3,761 with Dronningmølle, incl. Munkerup, having 1,569.

History

The name Dronningmølle, literally "queen's mill", comes from a water mill located close to the point where the stream Esrum Å runs into the Kattegat. The first water mill at the site was built by monks from Esrum Abbey. In 1588, it was replaced by a new water mill which was commissioned by Frederick II of Denmark and named after his wife, Queen Sophie, possibly because she owned the site on which it was built. Valentin von Spangenberg, who also worked on Kronborg Castle and many other road and mill projects in the area, was charged with the construction of the complex.

The nearest settlements were Villingerød and Villingebæk which are both mentioned in documents from the early days of Esrum Abbey. Located a couple of kilometres inland, Villingerød, literally "The forest dwellers' clearing", was with its 10 farms the largest village in Esbønderup parish. Villingebæk, literally "The forest dwellers' stream", a reference to the location at Pandehave Å, consisted of a mixture of fishermen's houses and small farmsteads. It prospered from the fishing of herring in the 16th century but was hit hard by sand drift in the 17th and 18th century.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, thanks to its sandy beach, the locality has been a popular resort with hotels and guest houses along the coast road. Today, it has some 1,500 summerhouses reaching up to two kilometres inland. Until 1946, Kassegård, a large thatched house had stood for centuries on the corner of Villingerødvej and Linde Alle.

Dronningmølle Station on the Helsingør-Gilleleje line was initially opened to serve Dronningmølle Teglverk, a brick factory established in 1898 by the coffee merchant Ferdinand Andersen. For a time, the local fishermen were opposed to the growing importance of the factory but, as Andersen bought up most of the area, they were eventually forced to work there. The brickyard was closed in 1947 and subsequently demolished.