Copenhagen Palaces

Imagine you are in Denmark for a short visit. And in your tourist plan is listed only the capital - Copenhagen. And you want to learn more about the whole country, about its history and culture, about modern Denmark and get as many vivid impressions as possible. In this case, you just need to visit our tour of the three royal palaces: Rosenborg, Amalienborg and Christiansborg. These attractions represent three different architectural styles, three different historical eras, and most importantly, all three palaces are directly related to modern Denmark.

Rosenborg (Danish: Rosenborg) is a representative of the Renaissance. This is a real castle surrounded by a moat with a drawbridge thrown over it once. This is the oldest of the three palaces we offer and the smallest. In the greenery of the park surrounding it, it seems just a toy, fabulous castle of Sleeping Beauty. Its toyiness is not accidental, since it was conceived from the very beginning (since 1606) not as a full-fledged castle, but as a summer country cottage of the king, since the place where the castle is located in the 17th century was a distant suburb. It was here, in the fresh air, among the picturesque nature and conceived the Danish king Christian IV (reign 1588 - 1648) to build a small house for recreation, surrounded by a rose garden. Yes, it was with roses that the whole park complex around the castle began - the oldest royal park in Denmark, where we will also walk. The word "rose" formed the basis of the name of the palace - "Rosenborg" - "Rose Castle". King Christian IV was fond of growing roses. He prescribed varieties from different countries of the world, he bred new ones. These roses, the Renaissance roses, are still growing near the castle.

Rosenborg has been preserved in its original form since the first quarter of the 17th century. Now it is a museum where we will walk through and talk about the history and culture of Denmark at that time, about international relations, including with Russia. In the palace there are many valuable tapestries, paintings, furniture, porcelain, luxury items. Among the things there are many gifts received at different times from foreign monarchs, for example, a gilded bust of the Russian Tsar Peter I by Rastrelli. Of particular interest are the basements of the castle, where the treasures of the Danish kings, their crowns, weapons are stored. We'll definitely check in there, too. There are still huge barrels of Christian IV wine in the basements. According to tradition, the now-living Danish Queen Margrethe II will honor her guests with them, but only once a year - on January 1, when she arranges a New Year's reception for members of parliament and foreign ambassadors.

Amalienborg (Date Amalienborg). One of the main tasks of the Guards is to guard the royal residence of Amalienborg. Every day at 11:30 the guards leave their barracks, located on the territory of Rosenborg, and boldly walk to the residence of Amalienborg, before which every day at 12:00 you can watch the changing of the guard of the royal guard. This is a very picturesque sight: tall soldiers in old military uniforms, wearing bear hats to music and drumbeat perform an ancient military ritual.

Originally, the palace ensemble Amalienborg was not intended for the royal family, but for noble families of the Danish kingdom. King Frederick V (1746–1766) decided to establish a new center of his capital on the outskirts of Copenhagen (which was then the outskirts), where the streets were to radiate from the main square, according to the latest French fashion. In the center of the square stands an equestrian statue of Frederick himself in the V century. the image of the Roman emperor by the French sculptor Jacques Sali. One of the buildings of the palace ensemble Amalienborg is reserved for the museum of the Glucksburg dynasty, that is, the dynasty, the representative of which is the Queen. Here you will see the interiors of the 19th and 20th centuries, personal belongings of members of the royal family, their jewelry, including Faberge jewelry, documents. In addition, the museum often hosts themed exhibitions, such as an exhibition of the Queen's dresses. During a walk through the museum you will get acquainted with the history of the current Queen Margrethe II, as well as with the stories of other Danish kings of the past.

Christiansborg is the main palace of the country, located in the heart of the Danish capital. Here sits the Parliament (Danish Folketing), are the state reception chambers of the Queen, reception of the Prime Minister and the Supreme Court. The current building of Christiansborg is actually the third palace on this site with this name. The first was built as the main royal residence in the Baroque style in 1736, but in 1794 it was badly damaged by fire. It was then that the royal family moved to Amalienborg. The palace was restored in 1850, but exactly 90 years later there was another fire and for a long time Christiansborg lay in ruins. The current building of the palace was rebuilt between 1907 and 1928 in the neo-Baroque style by the architect Thorvald Jørgensen. The 106-meter tower of the palace is the tallest in Copenhagen. Under the foundation of the current Christiansborg, the ruins of all previous buildings have been preserved, including the very first fortress of Bishop Absalon, erected in 1167, which is considered the year of the founding of Copenhagen.

While in Christiansborg, we will visit the Queen’s state reception rooms. We will see the throne room, the balcony from which the Danish monarchs are proclaimed. Here the interiors organically combine objects of the Baroque/Rococo era and works of modern masters. Of particular value is a series of tapestries on the history of Denmark, decorating the walls of the knight's hall. It was conceived as a gift to Queen Margrethe II for her 50th birthday, but was not fully completed until her 60th birthday.

Features of the tour: the opportunity to plunge into the history of Denmark in the shortest possible time, see how kings lived, visit the royal treasury, find out what modern Denmark lives. The tour will be interesting for history lovers, all fans of ancient architecture, as well as all those who are fans of active tourism and want to see the maximum in a short time.