| French Embassy in Denmark | |
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| Location | Copenhagen |
| Address | Kongens Nytorv 4 |
| Ambassador | Véronique Bujon-Barré |
The French Embassy in Copenhagen is the main diplomatic mission of France to Denmark. It is located in the Thott Palace at Kongens Nytorv 4 in central Copenhagen, Denmark. The ambassador since October 2010 is Véronique Bujon-Barré.
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The building now housing the French Embassy was built for the Danish naval hero Niels Juel from 1683-86 as the just second building on Kongens Nytorv which, inspired by the royal squares of Paris, had been laid out by Christian V of Denmark in the years following his coronation in 1670.[1] With his victory in the Battle of Køge Bay Niels Juel had won fame and wealth. His new mansion was designed by Lambert van Haven as an L-shaped building in the Dutch Baroque style.[2]
After Niels Juel's death in 1697, the king, Christian V of Denmark, arranged for his official mistress and mother to five of his children, Sophie Amalie Moth, to take over his mansion.[3] She immediately passed it on to he and the king's eldest son son, Christian Gyldenløve, who around 1700 extended the building with a third wing.[2]
In 1769 the Palace was acquired by Otto Thott, who had the facade towards modernized to the design of Nicolas-Henri Jardin in 1763-64. The property remained in the belonging of the Thott family until 1930 when it was purchased by the French State and turned into the French Embassy in Denmark.[2]
The Embassy is today also used as a venue for a multitude of activities including conferences, lectures, wine tastings and guided tours.[4]
Jeanne-Louise Hermite (1933):La vie d’un palais danois Kjær, Ulla and Florence Talbot: Det Thottske Palæ/Le Palais Thott. Copenhagen 2006. Text in Danish and French, forewords by former ambassador Anne Gazeau-Secret and HRH Prince Henrik