Christiansborg Palace & Rosenborg Castle, Denmark.

Whenever you think of European capital cities, the visual of palaces and castles come into mind, the baroque, neo-baroque and neo-classicism architectures to blow your mind away! Copenhagen is no exception, it houses more than 5 palaces, some used as Government buildings, some are the residence of the royals.. We were able to visit two of them in our short trip to Copenhagen- Christianborg palace and Rosenborg castle.

Christiansborg Palace is a palace and government building on the islet of Slotsholmen, which contains  Danish Parliament , the Danish Prime Minister’s Office and the Supreme Court of Denmark.  Also, several parts of the palace are used by the Danish monarch, including the Royal Reception Rooms, the Palace Chapel and the Royal Stables.

The Christiansborg Palace tower is the highest tower in Copenhagen which is 106 m tall, offering free access to visitors to city panorama. Christiansborg Palace was once the home of kings and queens, but after one of several great fires, the royal family moved to Amalienborg Palace in the late 1800’s and never returned. Like the rest of the palace, it was designed by architect Thorvald Jørgensen.

 

On the occasion of Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II’s 50th birthday in 1990 ,Danish business community gifted 11 tapestries depicting danish history of 1000 years which is demonstrated in the royal reception room. The Prime Minister of Denmark also uses The Royal Reception Rooms in connection with state visits by foreign state leaders. The Alexandra Hall is used for official dinners. If you hold a ticket to the Royal Reception Rooms, you are entitled to a free guided tour of the premises. Unfortunately due to Christmas and new year, it was closed for the visitors when we visited.

Second day in Copenhagen, we went to Rosenborg Castle. It was built by one of the most famous Scandinavian kings, Christian IV, in the early 17th century and looks like a typical disney fairy tale castle.  It houses the king’s private writing cabinet, his bathroom, and  wax figures of former royal inhabitant, an exquisite collection of Flora Danica, one of the world’s finest Venetian glass collections and crowns of the Danish kings & queens  kept in special vaults, embellished with table-cut stones, enamel and gold ornamentation.

Adjacent to the castle is the King’s Garden in Copenhagen – sometimes referred as Rosenborg Garden.  The huge flowerbeds are is a spectacular sight during the summer months, while in December it was relatively dull. Inside the park you will find the Hercules Pavillon, and the famous statue of Hans Christian Andersen. The gardens are home to a large herbaceous border, a rose-garden and a multitude of different-sized sculptures.

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