Fredensborg Palace

On the eastern shore of Lake Esrum is Fredensborg Palace. It is the spring and autumn residence of the Danish royal family. The name Fredensborg can be translated as “castle of peace”. In 1722, King Frederick IV commissioned the construction to the architect Johan Cornelius Krieger, who for many years served as the royal gardener at Rosenborg Castle. Johan proposed a magnificent project in the style of Dutch Baroque and Rococo.

Fredensborg Palace is a failure of a square and a half-storey building that crowns the central dome. From the palace there is a network of paths marking the boundaries of hunting grounds. Therefore, if you look from above, Fredensborg is in the center of the “hunting star”. In front of the main entrance there is an octagonal courtyard, and on the east side of the palace there is a riding platform and long stables. Near the palace there is a small greenhouse called the Margrave’s House. The modest chapel next to Fredensborg can be accessed from the street or through a secret underground passage from the inner chambers.

Fredensborg Palace Gardens are the largest gardens in Denmark. They were designed by King Frederick IV, but over the course of three centuries they have changed and expanded. In the park there is a separate area, called the "Norwegian Valley", which has about a hundred sculptures of Norwegian and Faroese farmers and fishermen.