Amalienborg Palace
The
Amalienborg Palace complex consists of four rococo palaces
from 1750-1758 and is the prime residence of the
Danish Royal family.
The
palace buildings are placed around an octagonal square
with a equestrian statue of King Frederik V (1723-1766
– ruled Denmark and Norway 1746-1766) in the centre, who was
the planner and builder of Frederiksstad in 1748,
where the Amalienborg palaces are
a part of.
Brief history of Amalienborg
The land around Amalienborg Palaces was acquired about 1602
by King Christian IV (1577-1648 – ruled Denmark
and Norway 1588-1648) and was located outside the ramparts of Copenhagen.
King Christian IV, who was also known as the great architect and
builder of Copenhagen used other parts of the obtained land to expand
the city by building Rosenborg Castle (1606-24)
– Nyboder quarters – and residence
for the royal navy (1631-41) – The Citadel -
a fortification to protect the city against attacks from the Sound
(1624).
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was King Christian IV, who acquired the land in 1602,
which was later used for building the future Amalienborg
Palaces. The King's plan was to spread out the city outside
the ramparts of the city with many of his other impressive
building projects like Rosenborg Castle - Nyboder Quarters
and the Citadel at the Sound. |
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The Citadel from 1624 was one of the larger projects of
King Christian IV, and established on the land he had
obtain in 1602 to develop the city. The Citadel was built
to secure the Northern entrance to the harbour of Copenhagen
and was placed towards the Sound. The Citadel is opened
for visitors all year round. |
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The
first Sophie Amalienborg
The first palace on the area at the waterfront, where the present
Amalienborg palace is placed was called Sophie Amalienborg
and built between 1669-1673 by Queen Sophie
Amalie (1628-1685), who was consort to King Frederik
III (1609-1670 – ruled Denmark and Norway 1648-1670).
Sophie Amalienborg palace was raised by a fire in 1689
and burnt down to the ground with many casualties. The Queen died
in 1685 at Sophie Amalienborg palace and just a
few years before her castle was demolished.
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first palace on the grounds where the present Amalienborg
Palaces are situated was Sophie Amalienborg from 1669
built by Queen Sophie Amalie. The palace burnt down to
the ground in 1689 and the painting is from 1740. |
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| Painting
of Queen Sophie Amalie around 1678 by Abraham Wuchters.
The Queen was consort of King Frederik III, who introduced
the absolute monarchy in 1660. She lived at Sophie Amalienborg
Palace for 15 years after she was widowed. |
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The
second Sophie Amalienborg
The second royal estate on the Amalienborg premises was built by
King Frederik IV (1671-1730 – ruled Denmark
and Norway 1699-1730) at the beginning of his reign. It was a small
modest summer residence for the royal family in two stories with
a view over the harbor area and surrounded by a French-style garden.
The summer residence was also called Sophie Amalienborg
and later excavated to give place for the ambitious and impressive
plans of King Frederik V (1723-1766 – ruled
Denmark and Norway 1746-1766) to establish a fashionable district
outside the city walls of Copenhagen.
| The
second Sophie Amalienborg was built by King Frederik IV
in 1672 on the same premises as the first Sophie Amalienborg.
The property was a small modest summer residence surrounded
by a French-style garden with a central pavilion and arcades
on both sides. |
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| King
Frederik V was the grand architect behind the new suburban
area called Frederiksstad and the founder of the Amalienborg
complex. The plan was to establish a fashionable district
and homes for nobilities. The portrait is painted by Carl
Gustav Pilo in 1751. |
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King Frederik V and Frederiksstad
King Frederik V selected the grounds of the two former royal
Amalienborg estates to be the centre of his new building project,
which was a prominent district, called Frederiksstad (Frederik’s
City) in Baroque style and mainly with exclusive homes for aristocrats
and noble families. Later the construction of buildings was created
in rococo architecture and supplanted by the neoclassic style. The
new district Frederiksstad was also built by the King to commemorate
in 1748 the tercentenary of the Oldenburg
dynasties ascent to the Danish throne and in 1749
to celebrate the tercentenary of the coronation of the first Oldenborg
King Christian I (1426-1481) – ruled Sweden 1457-1464
and Denmark and Norway 1448-1481).
| King
Frederik V was the planner of a new exclusive district
called Frederiksstad, with the impressive Marble Church
as a prestigious landmark and the four Amalienborg Palaces
to be the centre point of the fashionable town quarters.
Frederiksstad was built on the former grounds of two other
palaces named Sophie Amalienborg, and the new suburban
area for nobilities was developed by the King’s
leading court architect Nicolai Eigtved. The new district
Frederiksstad was also built as a prominent monument by
the King to commemorate the tercentenary in 1748 of the
Oldenburg dynasties ascent to the Danish throne as well
as to celebrate in 1749 the tercentenary of the coronation
of the first Oldenborg King Christian I. The illustration
is from 1756 showing the entire Frederiksstad complex
and Amalienborg Palaces. |
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Frederiksstad
and the axis
According to the master plans for Frederiksstad developed by the
King’s leading court architect Nicolai Eigtved,
the major project was composed of four mansions to house four distinguished
families of nobility from the royal circles. The building plots
by the harbour were donated by the King to the chosen families,
and the only conditions were that the stately manors should be identically
built and placed around the octagonal square
that was a part of the so called Frederiksstad axis, which went
through the Amalienborg complex and quarters. The short axis went
from the Marble Church (Frederikskirke) through
Frederiksgade (Frederiks Street) and passed the Amalienborg complex,
with the axis line ending at the newly built Opera house.
The Long axis was drawn alongside Amaliegade (Amalie
Street) and via the octagonal square through the colonnade
that connects two palaces and further on Amaliegade. The
Marble Church was the prime monument stating the 300 year jubilee
of the Oldenborg line.
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foundation stone of the Marble Church was laid by King
Frederik V in 1749, but due to many budget cuts the construction
was slowed down chiefly as financial resources were limited.
The monumental church was left incomplete and stood as
a ruin for nearly 150 years, as illustrated here in 1868. |
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| The
Marble Church was completed and inaugurated in 1894, and
financed by industrialist Carl Frederik Tietgen. The Church
has the largest dome in north Europe with a span of 31m.
The dome rests on 12 columns and the inspiration of the
church design was probably the Pantheon in Rome.
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The
building of the palaces starts in 1750
The
building of the four palaces started in 1750 and
in 1754 the two first rococo buildings called Moltke's
Palace and Levetzau's Palace were completed
at the west end of the Amalienborg compound. After completion and
in the same year the court architect Nicolai Eigtved died and was
replaced by his colleague Lauritz de Thurah, who
continued the work and finished the two projected palaces in 1760
named Brockdorff's Palace and Schack's
Palace. The most expensive of the four new palaces was
Moltke’s Palace (later Christian VII's Palace) with the most
extravagant interiors.
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Amalienborg Palaces in 1843, seen from the north-eastern
end with the equestrian statue of King Frederik V, and
glimpse of the uncompleted Marble Church in the back.
The Amalienborg square was a popular outing place for
Copenhageners, and at that time the reigning King was
Christian VIII, who resided in Levetzau's Palace (the
visible palace to the right, beside the Marble Church)
and later named Christian VIII's Palace. |
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| The
Throne Room in Christian VIII's Palace from 1802 created
by Nicolai A. Abildgaard. Actually, King Christian VIII
- who gave name to the palace - was the last Danish Monarch
to be anointed and crowned as King in 1839, as the coronation
ceremony was abolished after he had succeeded the throne.
The Crown Jewels and the Danish Crown Regalia are kept
safely at Rosenborg castle and are displayed for the public.
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The
equestrian statue
The
Owner of Moltke’s Palace and head of the Danish Asiatic Company
as well as Lord High Steward A. G. Moltke commissioned
the equestrian statue of the founder of Frederiksstad
and the Amalienborg palaces King Frederik V, which
is placed in the centre of the octagonal square. The French sculptor
Jacques-Francois-Joseph Saly was given the task
in 1753, and the equestrian statue was completed
and finally unveiled in 1771 – unfortunately,
the King died in 1766 after only 43 years of life
and 20 years of reign – 5 years before the equestrian statue
of him was inaugurated. Thanks to a great donation from the A.P.
Møller and Chastine McKinney Møller Foundation
the statue was restored in 1998 and brought back
to its original glory.
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equestrian statue of King Frederik V placed in the centre
of the octagonal square at Amalienborg. The French sculptor
Jacques-Francois-Joseph Saly took nearly 12 years to create
the monument and the statue was finally unveiled in 1771. |
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colonnade between Christian IX's Palace and Christian
VII's Palace was erected in 1795 to connect the royal
families. The
eight Ionic columns are constructed of solid painted wood
and designed by the royal architect Caspar Frederik Harsdorff.
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The
Colonnade
The colonnade between the newly occupied estates Moltke’s
Palace – residence of King Christian VII and Schack’s
Palace – residence of the Crown Prince was designed by the
royal architect Caspar Frederik Harsdorff and erected
in 1794-1795 to connect the royal families and
their residences. The eight Ionic columns are constructed of solid
painted wood and formed as pilasters in ancient Greek architecture.
Christiansborg Palace and Amalienborg Palace
In 1794 the royal residence Christiansborg palace
was raised by heavy fires and the reigning King Christian
VII (1749-1808) – ruled Denmark and Norway 1766-1808)
and his family became homeless, which made the King acquired the
two empty Amalienborg estates - Moltke’s and Schack’s
Palaces. The royal family moved into the palaces within
a few days after the catastrophe at Christiansborg.
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first Christiansborg Castle from 1745 was the Royal residence
in Copenhagen and was destroyed by a fire in 1794, while
King Christian VII resided in the castle. The Royal family
became homeless and moved for the first time to the private
Amalienborg mansions, which were fortunately unoccupied. |
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The
first mansion that was acquired as a Royal residence
by King Christian VII in 1794 was Moltke's Palace -
later renamed as Christian VII's Palace. The palace
beside called Schack's Palace became the residence of
Crown Prince Frederik (6) and was connected by a colonnade
in 1795.
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Four
official Royal Residences
From the date that the King achieved the first two Amalienborg palaces
in 1794 and later when the two other palaces became
permanent residences for royal families - the four mansions changed
names and status as royal palaces, and over the years various kings
and Queens with their families have resided in the four different
palaces. It is a tradition that each palace ranks on shift as official
royal residences, when a reigning monarch resides in the
preferred palace.
Moltke’s
Palace and Christian VII’s Palace
Moltke’s Palace nearest the Marble Church, changed name to
Christian VII’s Palace and was the first palace that was assigned
for the royal family. Since then and after the death of King Christian
VII - Christian VII’s Palace – named after the King
- was used for the Royal Household and later in
1852-1885 as administration building for The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since 1885
Christian VII’s Palace is used to accommodate prominent guests
and for royal receptions and ceremonial purposes. King Frederik
VII is the only monarch, who has lived in the palace permanently.
For a short time Crown Price Frederik (IX) and Crown Princess Ingrid
lived in the palace as well as her daughter Crown Princess
Margrethe (Queen Margrethe II) and Prince Henrik.
Both
the exterior and interior at Christian VII’s Palace was restored
1982 and the palace and state rooms are
open for visitors on a regular basis in the summer season.
King
Christian VII was the first monarch, who resided at the
Amalienborg complex in Moltke’s Palace later called
Christian VII’s Palace. The King is here portrayed
in 1789 by Jens Juel in his coronation robes together
with the Crown Jewels and Regalia. The King is wearing
the Crown of the Absolute Monarchs created by Paul Kurtz
in 1670 for King Christian V and later used by the following
Kings up to Christian VIII. The Crown is still in use,
on the catafalque of a deceased sovereign.
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Knights Hall or Great Hall at Christian VII's Palace from
1754 is one of the most decorated and lavishing rooms
of the four Amalienborg palaces. This palace was the most
expensive at the time it was built, and had the most extravagant
interiors and was furnished with the greatest magnificence
in the finest Rococo style. Since 1885 the property has
been used for royal receptions, and to entertain and accommodate
prominent guests as well as foreign heads of states. |
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Schack's
Palace and Christian IX's Palace
Schack’s Palace changed name to Christian IX’s Palace
and located near the waterfront and Amalie Gardens.
The Palace was the second palace acquired by King Christian VII
after the fires of Christiansborg Palace. The Crown Prince and later
King Frederik VI (1768-1839) – ruled Denmark
1808-1839 and Norway 1808-1814) was resident here, and after his
death in 1839 the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
used the royal premises. The former monarch and Regent King
Christian IX (1818-1906) – ruled Denmark 1863-1906)
entitled "Europe’s father-in-law"
and his Queen Louise moved from the Yellow Palace – just a
few blocks away - into the palace in 1863. King
Christian IX is the first Monarch of the Glücksborg line and
the palace is named after the King. Finally and since 1967,
Christian IX’s Palace has been the royal residence for the
present reigning monarch Queen Margrethe II of
Denmark and the Prince Consort Henrik.
Christian IX’s Palace is not open for visitors.
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Crown Prince Frederik
- later King Frederik VI and his family in 1821, was
the first Royal family, who move into Schack's Palace
in 1794 - later named Christian IX's Palace - after
the fires had raised their home at Christiansborg Castle.
The Kings favourite residence was Frederiksberg Castle
located 3 km outside of Copenhagen, where his consort,
Queen Marie died in 1852. Since 1967 the palace has
been the royal residence of Queen Margrethe II and the
Prince Consort Henrik.
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| King
Christian IX (picture) moved from the Yellow Palace beside
Amalienborg to Schack's Palace in 1863 with his consort,
Queen Louise and family. The Schack's palace was renamed
after him. The King is the first monarch of the later
Glücksborg Dynasty and was titled "Europe’s
father-in-law",
as four of his children became monarchs and one grandchild
King of Norway. Most
of Europe's reigning and ex-reigning royal families are
direct descendants of King Christian IX. |
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Brockdorff's
Palace and Frederik VIII's Palace
Brockdorff's Palace changed name to Frederik VIII's Palace and situated
in the northeastern end of the square and near the Amalie Gardens
and harbor area. The palace was acquired by King Frederik
V in 1765, and in 1767
the palace housed the Military Academy also called
the Army Cadet Academy (Landkadetakademi). The Naval Cadets took
over the property in 1788 and in 1827
the Military Academy was closed, when King Frederik VI decided
that his daughter princess Vilhelmine and Crown Prince Frederik
– later King Frederik VII – the last
Oldenborg King and the first constitutional Danish
monarch (1808-1863 - King of Denmark 1848-1863) should
reside at Frederik VIII's Palace after their wedding - and after
a completely restoration of the royal estate had been accomplished.
In 1869 Crown Prince Frederik – later King Frederik
VIII (1843–1912 – King 1906-1912) moved into
the palace, which was named after the King. In 1934 Frederik VIII's
Palace became the home for Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess
Ingrid and later the royal residence, when the Crown Prince succeeded
the throne as King Frederik IX (1899–1972
– King 1947-1972). The admired Dowager Queen Ingrid lived
here until her death in 2000. King Frederik VIII’s palace
is the only estate of the four Palaces that is equipped with a watch
on the fronton of the building - and the Palace is currently undergoing
a total renovation and face lift to be the residence for the next
generation of royalties – namely Crown Prince Frederik
(XI) and Crown Princess Mary.
Frederik VIII's Palace is not open for visitors.
| Brockdorff's
Palace was one of the first Amalienborg palaces, which
was acquired in 1765 by King Frederik V and later used
to house the Military Academy. Several members of the
Royal family live in the palace until Crown Prince Frederik
moved in with his family in 1869. When the Crown Prince
became King Frederik VIII in 1906 (picture), and second
Glücksborg monarch on the Danish Trone, the palace
was renamed after him. |
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| King
Frederik IX with his consort, Queen Ingrid and the princesses
Margrethe (Queen Margrethe II), Anne-Marie (Queen Anne-Marie
of Greece) and HRH Benedikte in 1952 all dressed in
national costumes from Greenland. King Frederik IX lived
in Frederik VIII's Palace from 1934 until his death
in 1972, and the Dowager Queen Ingrid lived here until
her death in 2000. King Frederik IX was the fourth Glücksborg
monarch on the Danish throne.
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Levetzau's
Palace and Christian VIII's Palace
Levetzau’s Palace changed name to Christian VIII's Palace
and is situated at the northwestern end of the octagonal square
and near the Marble Church. The Palace was bought by the Heir
Presumptive Frederik in 1794, who had
it modernised in new French Empire style and used it as his residence
until he died in 1805. The Crown Prince Christian,
who grew up in this palace – and later crowned as King
Christian VIII, (1786-1848 - King 1839-1848) and gave name
to the palace. After King Christian VIII died in 1848
and Dowager in 1881, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs
used the premises until 1898, when the palace was
selected as residence for Crown Prince Christian and Crown Princess
Alexandrine – the later King Christian X (1870-1947
- King 1912-1947). After the death of King Christian X – the
palace was disposal for his son and Heir Presumptive Knud. The Palace
went through a complete refurbishment in the 1980s and was the home
and state rooms of the present heir to the throne Crown Prince Frederik.
A
memorial plate for the court architect Nicolai Eigtved,
who worked out the plan of Frederiksstad is placed on the wall of
Christians VIII's Palace on Frederiksgade.
| King
Christian VIII (picture) grew up in Levetzau's Palace,
which was bought by his father the Heir Presumptive Frederik
in 1794. When crowned as King in 1839 the palace was renamed
Christian VIII's Palace. The King was the last Danish
monarch to be crowned, as the coronation ceremony was
abolished after he had succeeded the throne. King Christian
VIII started the process of given Denmark a free constitution,
which was fulfilled by his son and last Oldenborg monarch
King Frederik VII in 1849. |
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| Crown
Prince Christian (X) and Crown Princess Alexandrine moved
into Christian VIII's palace in 1898 after their wedding.
The later King Christian X lived in this palace with his
consort, Queen Alexandrine until his death in 1947. During
the German occupation of Denmark the King took a daily
ride on horseback through his city and won much admiration
and sympathy among the Danes. King Christian X was the
third Glücksborg monarch on the Danish throne. |
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Amalienborg
Museum at Christian VIII's Palace
Christian VIII's Palace houses the Amalienborg museum displaying
the history of the Glücksborg Dynasty and
their private royal apartments from 1863-1972 including
the original furnishings. The museum is open for visitors all year
round and there are guided tours to the "Bel-etage"
(Gala-Hall) in Christian VIII's Palæ on Wednesdays
and Sundays.
| The
office and study of King Christian IX at Amalienborg museum.
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| Living
room of King Christian IX and Queen Louise at Amalienborg
museum. |
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| The office and study of King Frederik
IX at Amalienborg museum. |
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The Royal Danish Guard
Amalienborg Palace is always guarded day and night all year round
by The Royal Danish Life Guards, as this special
regiment has had the closes connection to the Royal House since 1658.
The brigade was established by King Frederik III
(1609-1670 – ruled Denmark and Norway 1648-1670) and the main
duty was to protect the King and the Royal Castles and Palaces as
well as being present during ceremonial occasions and Royal receptions.
Guard Mounting
Changing of the Guard is one of the oldest and most common of all
royal ceremonies - a new guard exchanges duty with
the Old Guard to continue their operational commitments – and
the handover is mainly accompanied by a the Royal Guards music
band playing traditional military marches.
The practice and parade of the Royal Danish Life Guards
Kongevagt
- The King’s Guard – is exercised when
the Queen is in residence – and will be accompanied
by the Band of the Royal Danish Life Guards. The guards will departure
from Rosenborg Castle at 11:30 and end at Amalienborg
palace at 12:00, where changing of the guards takes
place. After the parade and shift, the Guards leaves the
drum and the Regents Flag on the drill
ground in the daytime at Christians VII’s Palace beside the
colonnade.
Kongevagt
- The Kings Guard - is exercised when the Queen is
in residence. After changing of the Guards the ceremonial
act continues by leaving the drum and regents flag
on the drill ground in the day time. |
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Løjtnantsvagt
- The Lieutenant Guard - is exercised when The Prince
Consort Henrik - or the Crown Prince as
well as Prince Joachim is reigning in absence of
the Queen - are in residence at Amalienborg. The guards will be
accompanied by the Band of the Royal Danish Life Guards and will
departure from Rosenborg Castle at 11:30 and end at Amalienborg
palace at 12:00, where changing of the guards takes place. After
the parade and shift, the Guards only leave the drum
on the drill ground in the daytime at Christians VII’s Palace
beside the colonnade.
Palævagt - The Palace Guard - is
exercised when the Crown Prince or Prince
Joachim reside at Amalienborg, or when the palaces are
unoccupied by members of the royal family. The
guards will march from Rosenborg Castle at 11:30 through Copenhagen
without any musical band or accompaniment and end at Amalienborg
palace at 12:00, where changing of the guards takes place.
Visitors can follow or walk along with the Royal Guards from Rosenborg
Castle through Copenhagen to Amalienborg Palace and visa versa.
The
Royal Guards uniform
The blue uniform from 1848
In connection with ordinary duties for the Royal House, The Royal
Danish Life Guards are dressed in the original dark blue
field uniform from 1848, with a tall fur bearskin
cap from 1805, which weighs nearly 4 kg. together
with a symbolic Guards sabre and a standard army rifle M/95.
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dark blue uniform of the Life Guards while they are on
ordinary guard duty is dated back to 1848. The drum and
flag indicates that the Queen is in residence. |
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| On
special occasions and when specific events within
the Royal House are celebrated, the Life Guards will wear
the red full-dress uniform, which dates back to about
1660. |
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The
red full dress uniform from 1660
On special occasions and other ceremonial matters within the Royal
House the Royal Danish Life Guards will wear the red full-dress
uniform dated back to about 1660. Visitors
at Amalienborg Palace will experience the Royal Danish Life Guards
in their rich coloured red full-dress uniform, when birthdays,
weddings, birth, christening,
anniversaries etc. are celebrated within the Royal
House and by royal family members involved.
The
Royal Flag
When the Queen and other members of the royal family are in residence
in any of the palaces the swallow-tailed Danish
flag (Dannebrog) will be flying over the palace
concerned. The Queens flag has the royal coat of arms in the central
field and special versions of the Royal swallow-tailed flag with
different monograms represent each family member of the Royal House.
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Royal Yacht Dannebrog has been the official and private
residence of Danish monarchs and the Royal House since
1931. Since, the yacht has travelled over 300,000 nautical
miles, mainly visiting ports in Denmark, Greenland and
the Faroe Islands. The swallow-tailed Danish flag (Dannebrog)
is flying, when the Royal family is residing on board.
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| According
to the myth, the Danish flag fell down from the sky
in June 1219 in Estonia. With the flag in his hand,
King Valdemar II won the battle at Lydanise near Tallinn.
The painting of the event is illustrated by Christian
A. Lorentzen in 1809, and displayed at The Danish National
Gallery. The legend of the flag is very popular among
Danes. |
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The
National Danish flag - Dannebrog
The national Danish flag (Dannebrog) is the oldest national flag
in the world dating back to the 14th century. According
to the myth the Danish flag fell down from the sky in June 1219
as a revelation for the Danish King Valdemar II
– called Valdemar the Victorious (1170-1241 –
King 1202-1241) during his crusade to Estonia –
and with the flag in his hand, King Valdemar II won the battle at
Lydanise near Tallinn. The King commanded the historic
flag to be the Danish National flag. The legend of the flag is very
popular among Danes.
The Danish flag (Dannebrog) was once the flag of Norway
too, during the Danish-Norwegian Union until 1821. Norway
acquired their own National flag by putting a blue stripe in the
white cross, when they became an independent nation. The design
of the Danish flag with the cross was also later adopted by the
other Nordic countries like Sweden, Finland,
Iceland and Faeroe Islands.
Location
Amalienborg Palace is located near the Marble Church
- Amalie Gardens – The Yellow Palace
- The Royal Playhouse and opposite the Opera
House alongside the waterfront.
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