Amalienborg Palace
Amalienborg Palace (Danish: Amalienborg, IPA: [aˈmaːˀliə̯nbɔːˀʀ]) is the winter home of the Danish royal family, and is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. It consists of four identical classicizing palace façades with rococo interiors around an octagonal courtyard (Amalienborg Slotsplads); in the center of the square is a monumental equestrian statue of Amalienborg's founder, King Frederik V.
Amalienborg was originally built for four noble families; however, when Christiansborg Castle burnt down on 26 February 1794, the royal family bought the palaces and moved in. Over the years various kings and their families have resided in the four different palaces.
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Amalienborg and Frederiksstaden
Amalienborg is the centerpiece of Frederiksstaden, a district that was built by King Frederik V to commemorate in 1748 the tercentenary of the Oldenburg family's ascent to the throne of Denmark, and in 1749 the tercentenary of the coronation of Christian I of Denmark. This development is generally thought to have been the brainchild of Danish Ambassador Plenipotentiary in Paris, Johann Hartwig Ernst Bernstorff. Heading the project was Lord High Steward Adam Gottlob Moltke, one of the most powerful and influential men in the land, with Nicolai Eigtved as royal architect and supervisor. Frederiksstaden, which was planned as a fashionable district for the city's most important citizens, became a fine example of European Baroque architecture.
The third palace on the site
The Frederiksstaden district was built on the former grounds of two other palaces.
The first palace was called Sophie Amalienborg Palace. It was built by Queen Sofie Amalie, consort to Frederik III on part of the land which King Christian IV had acquired outside of Copenhagen's old walled city, now known as the Indre By district, in the early 1600s. Other parts of the land were used for Rosenborg Castle, Nyboder, and the new Eastern fortified wall around the old city.
It included a garden, as a replacement for an earlier garden which had been destroyed under siege from Sweden in 1659— the Queen’s Garden, which was located beyond the city's western Gate Vesterport, an area today known as Vesterbro.
Work on the garden was begun in 1664, and the castle was built 1669-1673. The King died in 1670, and the Queen Dowager lived there until her death on 20 February 1685.
On 15 April 1689 King Christian V, Sophie Amalie’s son, celebrated his forty-fourth birthday at the palace with the presentation of a German opera, perhaps the first opera presentation in Denmark, in a specially built, temporary theatre. The presentation was a great success, and it was repeated a few days later on 19 April. However, immediately after the start of the second performance a stage decoration caught fire, causing the theatre and the palace to burn to the ground, and about 180 people to lose their lives.
The King planned to rebuild the palace, whose church, Royal Household and garden buildings were still intact. Ole Rømer headed the preparatory work for the rebuilding of Amalienborg in the early 1690s. In 1694 the King negotiated a deal with the Swedish building master Nicodemus Tessin the Younger, who spent some time in Copenhagen that summer, reviewing the property. His drawing and model were completed in 1697. The King, however, found the plans too ambitious, and instead began tearing down the existing buildings that same year, with the reclaimed building materials used to build a new Garrison Church.
The second Amalienborg was built by Frederik IV at the beginning of his reign. No palace was built; however, there was built a summerhouse, a central pavilion with orangeries, and arcades on both side of the pavilion. On one side of the buildings was a French-style garden, and on the other side were military drill grounds. The pavilion had a dining room on the groundfloor. On the upper floor was a salon with a view out to the harbour, the garden and the drill grounds.
The axes
The short axis on which Amalienborg lies, Frederiksgade ("Frederik’s Street") has been much discussed on account of the building of The Copenhagen Opera House 2001-2004.
Aligned on the short axis are:
- Frederik's Church (Frederikskirke), commonly known as The Marble Church (Marmorkirken).
- Amalienborg
- Opera House
The long axis on which Amalienborg lies is Amaliegade ("Amalie Street").
The four palaces
According to Eigtved’s master plans for Frederikstad and the Amalienborg Palaces, the four palaces surrounding the plaza were conceived of as town mansions for the families of chosen nobility. They were identical from the outside, but different on the inside. The building site for each palace was donated free of charge to the chosen aristocrat to build on, and they were further exempted from taxes and duties. The only conditions were that the palaces should comply exactly to the Frederikstad architectural specifications, and that they should be built within a specified time framework.
Building of the palaces on the western side of the square started in 1750. When Eigtved died in 1754 the two western palaces had been completed. The work on the other palaces was continued by Eigtved's colleague and rival, Lauritz de Thurah strictly according to Eigtved’s plans. The palaces were completed in 1760.
The four palaces are:
- Christian VII's Palace, originally known as Moltke's Palace
- Christian VIII's Palace, originally known as Levetzau's Palace
- Frederik VIII's Palace, originally known as Brockdorff's Palace
- Christian IX's Palace, originally known as Schack's Palace
When the Royal Family found itself homeless after the Christiansborg Castle fire of 1794, the palaces were empty for long periods throughout the year, with the exception of the Brockdorff Palace, which housed the Naval Academy. The noblemen who owned them were willing to part with their mansions for promotion and money, and the Moltke and Schack Palaces were acquired in the course of a few days.
A colonnade, designed by royal architect Caspar Frederik Harsdorff, was added 1794-1795 to connect the recently occupied King’s palace, Moltke Palace, with that of the Crown Prince, Schack’s Palace.
Currently, only the palaces of Christian VII and Christian VIII are open to the public.
Christian VII's Palace
Christian VII's Palace is also known as Moltke's Palace, and was originally built for Lord High Steward Adam Gottlob Moltke. It is the southwestern palace, and has been since 1885 used to accommodate and entertain prominent guests, for receptions, and for ceremonial purposes.
Moltke’s Palace was erected in 1750-1754 by the best craftsmen and artists of their day under the supervision of Eigtved. It was the most expensive of the four palaces at the time it was built, and had the most extravagant interiors. Its Great Hall (Riddersalen) featured woodcarvings ("boiserie") by Louis August le Clerc, paintings by François Boucher and stucco by Giovanni Battista Fossati, and is acknowledged widely as perhaps the finest Danish Rococo interior.
The mansion was formally opened on 30 March 1754, the King’s thirtieth birthday. Due to Eigtved's death a few months later, such follow up work as the Banqueting Hall, was completed by Nicolas-Henri Jardin.
Immediately after the Christiansborg Castle fire in March 1794 and two years after the death of the original owner, the palace was sold to the royal family, headed by the schizophrenic King Christian VII. It was the first of the four palaces to be sold to the royal family, and Caspar Frederik Harsdorff was assigned to turn it into a royal residence. They moved in December 1794.
After Christian VII’s death in 1808, Frederik VI used the palace for his Royal Household. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs used parts of the Palace in the years 1852-1885. For short periods of time in the intervening years the palace has housed various members of the royal family while restoration took place on their respective palaces. In 1971-1975 a small kindergarten was established at the palace, and later a schoolroom, for Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim.
After 200 years the facade, decorated by German scuptor Johan Christof Petzold, was severely damaged, causing parts of Amalienborg Place to be closed off to prevent injury. Since 1982 both the exterior and interior have been restored. Restoration work was completed at the beginning of Copenhagen's year as European Capital of Culture in 1996. In 1999 the restoration was awarded a medal by Europa Nostra, an international preservation organisation.
The palace is occasionally open to the general public.
Christian VIII's Palace
Christian VIII's Palace is also known as Levetzau's Palace, and was originally built for Privy Councillor Count Christian Frederik Levetzau in 1750-1760. It is the northwestern palace, and was the home of Crown Prince Frederik until 2004.
After Eigtved's death in 1754, the supervision of the building's construction was carried out by royal architect Lauritz de Thurah according to Eigtved's plans.
The palace was sold by the entailed estate of Restrup, which had been established in 1756 by Levertzau, the late owner. The family set one condition when they sold the building— that the Count’s coat of arms should never be removed from the building. It can still be seen beside that of the monarch's.
The King's half-brother Frederik bought the palace in 1794, and painter and architect Nikolai Abildgaard modernized the interiors in the new French Empire style. The palace was named Christian VIII’s Palace after his son, Christian Frederik, who grew up in the palace, took over the building in 1805 upon the death of his father, and would become king in 1839.
Christian VIII died in 1848, and the Queen Dowager, Caroline Amalie, died in 1881. From 1885 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs used parts of the Palace, but moved in 1898 when the Palace became the residence of Crown Prince Christian (X) and Princess Alexandrine. After the death of Christian X the Palace was placed at the disposal of Prince Knud, the Heir Presumptive.
Today, there is little left of the remaining rococo interior; much of the interior reflects the changing taste and style of its residents over the years.
In the 1980s the palace was restored as residence for the Crown Prince, storage facilities for the Queen’s Reference Library and a museum for the Royal House of Glücksborg. The museum features private royal apartments from 1863-1947 including original fittings and furnishings.
Frederik VIII's Palace
Frederik VIII's Palace is also known as Brockdorff's Palace. It is the northeastern palace, and was the home of Queen Dowager Ingrid until her death in 2000. It is currently being restored and will be the home of the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess.
It was originally built for Count Joachim Brockdorff in the 1750s. Brockdorff died in 1763, and Lord High Steward Adam Gottlob Moltke acquired the palace. Moltke sold it two years later to Frederik V.
From 1767 it housed the Military Academy, also known as the Army Cadet Academy (Landkadetakademi). In 1788 naval cadets replaced the army cadets. The Academy was closed in 1827.
The following year the palace went to Christian VIII’s son, Frederik VII, who ascended the throne in 1848, and his bride, Princess Vilhelmine. Architect Jørgen Hansen Koch successfully and thoroughly refurbished the palace in French Empire style in 1827-1828.
After the marriage was dissolved in 1837, various members of the royal family lived in the palace. In 1869 it became the home of Frederik VIII. In 1934 it became the home of Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid.
Christian IX's Palace
Christian IX's Palace is also known as Schack's Palace. It is the southeastern palace, and has been the home of the royal couple since 1967.
Building work was commenced in 1750 by Eigtved, and was supervised first by architect Christian Josef Zuber and later by Philip de Lange.
It was originally commissioned by Privy Councillor Severin Løvenskjold, but in 1754 he had to give up due to economic difficulties. The project was taken over by Countess Anne Sophie Schack née Rantzau and her step-grandson Hans Schack. A fire shortly after the change of ownership delayed completion by a couple of years.
7 January 1757 Hans Schack married Countess Ulrikke Auguste Vilhelmine Moltke, daughter of Adam Gottlob Moltke, and as his son-in-law had use of the best artists and craftsmen to complete the interiors.
In 1794 the palace was taken over from private residence by the Regent, Crown Prince Frederik, and his wife, Crown Princess Marie. He died in 1839, and she in 1852. The palace was used after her death by, among others, the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It was later the home of Christian IX until his death in 1906. The home remained untouched afterwards until 1948. In 1967 the Palace was restored for the successor to the throne, Crown Princess Margrethe and Prince Henrik.
The equestrian statue
The equestrian statue was commissioned by Moltke, as Director for the Danish Asiatic Company, and it was made by French sculptor Jacques-Francois-Joseph Saly. Work began in 1753, and the foundation stone was laid in place in 1760 at the 100 year celebration of political absolutism in Denmark. The statue was finally unveiled in 1771, five years after King Frederik V's death in 1766.
The Danish Royal Life Guard (Den Kongelige Livgarde) march from Rosenborg Castle at 11.30 am daily through the streets of Copenhagen, and execute the changing of the guard in front of Amalienborg Palace at noon.
Amalienhaven
Amaliehaven ("The Amalie Garden"), established in 1983, is one of the newest gardens in Copenhagen. It is located between the Amalienborg palaces and the harbour. The garden was a gift to the people of Copenhagen from the A.P. Møller and Chastine McKinney Møller Foundation. The two-level garden was designed by Belgian architect Jean Delogne. It features marble sculptures and a central fountain designed by Italian Arnaldo Pomodoro. It is owned jointly by the Danish state and the municipality of Copenhagen, and maintained by the Palaces and Properties Agency...
See also
- List of castles and palaces in Denmark
- Tourism in Denmark