We’d enjoyed watching the electric ferries running back and forth from Helsingor, Denmark to Sweden and and decided it would be fun to take one and visit Helsingborg, SE for a day. We also were keen to watch the robotic arm that attaches the charging cable at each end.

Helsingborg is the oldest city in Sweden, with a permanent establishment dating from 1085. By the 1400s the city, then a part of Denmark, was flourishing from the Danish-imposed tolls on vessels passing through the Oresund. In the middle of the 19th-century, industrialization made it one of the fastest growing cities in Sweden, and today it is the fourth-largest.

We spent a great day in Helsingborg, touring the waterfront and the historic and modern sights on a warm and sunny October day. And we particularly enjoyed the ferry ride there and back, and seeing the robotic arm in action.

Below are trip highlights from October 6th, 2019. Click any image for a larger view, or click the position to view the location on a map. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.

Tycho Brahe Position: 56°1.99’N, 12°37.01’E Looking back to Helsingor, DK from the Tycho Brahe as it departs for Helsingborg, SE.

Kronborg Castle Position: 56°2.13’N, 12°37.58’E View to Kronborg Castle from the ferry to Helsingborg.

Batteries Position: 56°2.33’N, 12°39.08’E The Tycho Brahe was originally delivered as a diesel ferry and it’s been refit for all-electric operation where it charges through a robotic connection at either end of the run. The batteries are kept up on deck in the containers numbered 3 and 4 in the picture.

Helsingborg Arrival Position: 56°2.53’N, 12°41.25’E The Tycho Brahe arriving into Helsingborg SE, twenty minutes after leaving Helsingor, DK. The entrance looks pretty narrow for these big ferries.

Automatic Docking System Position: 56°2.59’N, 12°41.42’E For more efficient docking, and probably to hold the boat sufficiently stable for the robotic charge cable attachment, Forsea uses an automatic docking system. Here the system is reaching out to slip into a socket in the side of the Tycho Brahe where it will lower over a bollard and then pull the ship up tight against the dock. The release process is the opposite.

Helsingborg Castle Position: 56°2.74’N, 12°41.52’E Looking up from Stortorget, Helsingborg’s main square to the tower Karnan, all that remains of Helsingborg’s medieval castle.

Maritime Goddess Position: 56°2.70’N, 12°41.44’E Maritime Goddess, by Swedish sculptor Carl Milles, was erected in Helsingor in 1923.

City Hall Position: 56°2.78’N, 12°41.62’E Helsingborg is the fourth-largest city in Sweden and in the middle of the 19th-century, industrialization made it one of the fastest growing. The city’s striking neo-Gothic city hall was completed during that period.

Infidels Position: 56°2.78’N, 12°41.62’E A group of about fifty motorcycles setting out for a cruise from downtown Helsingborg. Many were wearing jackets from “The Infidels” motorcycle club.

Wok on Fire Position: 56°2.75’N, 12°41.74’E A delicious lunch at Wok on Fire in Helsingborg.

Menu Position: 56°2.75’N, 12°41.74’E Interestingly, the staff at Wok on Fire spoke no English, but the menu was all in English except for the food descriptions in Swedish.

Helsingborg 1400 Position: 56°2.83’N, 12°41.74’E Helsingborg is the oldest city in Sweden, with a permanent establishment dating from 1085. By the 1400s the city, then a part of Denmark, was flourishing from the Danish-imposed tolls on vessels passing through the Oresund. This model shows the city around that time, with large medieval fortress of Helsingborg Castle, multiple churches and a large settlement along the water.

Stairs Position: 56°2.83’N, 12°41.75’E The stairs leading up the hilltop above Helsingborg’s main square Stortorget, along with the turrets behind, likely were built in the 19th century. The tower Karnan, all that remains of Helsingborg’s medieval castle, is visible through the arches. In the foreground is a statue of David, from the story David and Goliath.

Stortorget Position: 56°2.85’N, 12°41.80’E View to Helsingborg’s main square, Stortorget, from the hilltop above. The tower of City Hall is visible at center in the distance.

Karnan Tower Position: 56°2.86’N, 12°41.81’E Helsingborg Castle was destroyed in the 17th century, leaving only the tower Karnan. It was in ruins for much of the time since and was eventually restored in the late 19th century.

Stairs Position: 56°2.90’N, 12°41.85’E Climbing the 146 stairs to the top of the tower Karnan.

Oresund Position: 56°2.90’N, 12°41.85’E View to Oresund from the top of the tower Karnan.

Ferry Terminal Position: 56°2.89’N, 12°41.84’E The Helsingborg ferry terminal viewed from the top of the tower Karnan.

Gothic Rib Vault Position: 56°2.90’N, 12°41.85’E Striking Gothic rib vault supporting the third floor in the tower Karnan. The remains of a balcony are visible at right—the room used to have two floors with a staircase leading up to a balcony.

Rabbits Position: 56°2.88’N, 12°41.35’E Jennifer posing with rabbit statues outside Dunkers Kulturhus, Helsinborg’s cultural center.

Dunkers Kulturhus Position: 56°2.78’N, 12°41.19’E Looking across a pleasure craft marina to Helsinborg’s cultural center, Dunkers Kulturhus, at right. The building was designed by Danish architect Kim Utzon, the son of Sidney Opera House architect Jorn Utzon.

Swtizer Valand Position: 56°2.72’N, 12°41.21’E The 85ft (25.85m) Faero Island-registered Swtizer Valand, built in 1998, at the Port of Helsingborg.

Tycho Brahe Arriving Position: 56°2.52’N, 12°41.10’E We walked out along the breakwater to watch the ferries come and go. With a ferry every 20 minutes, we didn’t have to wait long. This the ferry we took across, the Tycho Brahe, arriving into Helsingborg.

Robotic Arm Position: 56°2.53’N, 12°41.11’E During the short unload and reload cycle of the electric ferries Aurora and Tycho Brahe, a robotic arm plugs them into shorepower. Here the arm is reaching out to plug in the Tycho Brahe shortly after the automatic docking system is engaged.

Capstan Position: 56°2.64’N, 12°41.30’E Sculpture of a capstan used to move ships around the Helsingborg harbour in the 19th century.

Hamnkrogen Position: 56°2.73’N, 12°41.55’E Enjoying a craft beer in the sun along the Helsingborg waterfront at Hamnkrogen.

Pinchos! Position: 56°2.75’N, 12°41.73’E We enjoyed Pinchos Tapas restaurant in Gothensburg so much that we had to stop in for dinner when we saw one in Helsingborg.

Releasing Power Position: 56°2.61’N, 12°41.44’E The robotic arm that plugs in the electric ferries Aurora and Tycho Brahe is parked in a glass-sided case with a metal roll-down front that opens automatically when the arm is in use. In the picture the arm is visible partly inside the glass-sided case that it’s normally parked in, but here it is active. So the front of the case is open as the robotic arm has reached out to grasp the shorepower connection and remove it seconds before the Aurora gets underway.

Departing Helsingborg Position: 56°2.50’N, 12°41.28’E Departing Helsingborg at dusk on the electric ferry Aurora.

Dusk Position: 56°2.35’N, 12°41.23’E The Oresund at dusk as we return to Helsingor.

Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise. On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.