Amalienborg () is the official residence for the

Danish royal family The Danish royal family is the dynastic family of the monarch. All members of the Danish royal family except Queen Margrethe II hold the title of ''Prince/Princess of Denmark''. Dynastic children of the monarch and of the heir apparent are accor ...

, and is located in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, Denmark.

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

Magrethe ll lives here in winter and autumn. It consists of four identical classical palace façades with

rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

interiors around an octagonal courtyard ( da, Amalienborg Slotsplads); in the centre of the square is a monumental

equestrian statue An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a d ...

of Amalienborg's founder, King Frederick V. Amalienborg was originally built for four noble families; however, when Christiansborg Palace burned on 26 February 1794, the royal family bought the palaces and moved in. Over the years various monarchs and their families have resided in the four different palaces.

History

The first palaces on the site

The Frederiksstaden district was built on the former grounds of two other palaces. The first palace was called

Sophie Amalienborg Sophie Amalienborg was a Lustschloss, pleasure palace roughly located where Amalienborg stands today in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was built by Queen Consort Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Sophie Amalie who lived there until her death in 1685 a ...

. It was built by Queen Sophie Amalie, consort to Frederick III, on part of the land which her father-in-law

Christian IV Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian monar ...

had acquired outside of Copenhagen's old walled city, now known as the

Indre By Indre By (lit. English, "Inner City"), also known as Copenhagen Center or K or Downtown Copenhagen, is an administrative district (''by'') in central Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. It covers an area of , has a population of 26,223, and a po ...

district, in the early 17th century when he had been king. Other parts of the land were used for

Rosenborg Castle Rosenborg Castle ( da, Rosenborg Slot) is a renaissance castle located in Copenhagen, Denmark. The castle was originally built as a country summerhouse in 1606 and is an example of Christian IV's many architectural projects. It was built in the D ...

, Nyboder, and the new Eastern fortified wall around the old city. It included a garden, a replacement for the "Queen’s Garden" which had been located beyond the city's western gate ''Vesterport'', an area today known as Vesterbro, and which had been destroyed under siege from Sweden in 1659. Work on the garden began in 1664, and the castle was built from 1669 to 1673. The King died in 1670, and the Queen Dowager lived there until her death on February 20, 1685. Four years later on April 15, 1689, Sophie Amalie's son King Christian V 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 April 19. 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 died. 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 Count Nicodemus Tessin the Younger (May 23, 1654 – April 10, 1728) was a Swedish Baroque architect, city planner, and administrator. The son of Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and the father of Carl Gustaf Tessin, Tessin the Younger was the midd ...

, 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 Frederick IV at the beginning of his reign. The second Amalienborg consisted of 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.

Development of Frederiksstaden by Frederick V

Amalienborg is the centrepiece of Frederiksstaden, a district that was launched by King Frederick 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 A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of ot ...

Christian I of Denmark Christian I (February 1426 – 21 May 1481) was a Scandinavian monarch under the Kalmar Union. He was king of Denmark (1448–1481), Norway (1450–1481) and Sweden (1457–1464). From 1460 to 1481, he was also duke of Schleswig (within Den ...

. This development is generally thought to have been the brainchild of Danish Ambassador

Plenipotentiary A ''plenipotentiary'' (from the Latin ''plenus'' "full" and ''potens'' "powerful") is a diplomat who has full powers—authorization to sign a treaty or convention on behalf of his or her sovereign. When used as a noun more generally, the wor ...

in Paris, Johann Hartwig Ernst Bernstorff. Heading the project was

Lord High Steward The Lord High Steward is the first of the Great Officers of State in England, nominally ranking above the Lord Chancellor. The office has generally remained vacant since 1421, and is now an ''ad hoc'' office that is primarily ceremonial and ...

Adam Gottlob Moltke Count Adam Gottlob von Moltke (10 November 171025 September 1792) was a Danish courtier, statesman and diplomat, and Favourite of Frederick V of Denmark. Moltke was born at Riesenhof in Mecklenburg. His son, Joachim Godske Moltke, and his gra ...

, one of the most powerful and influential men in the country, with

Nicolai Eigtved Nicolai Eigtved, also known as Niels Eigtved (4 June 1701 – 7 June 1754) was a Danish architect. He introduced and was the leading proponent of the French rococo or late baroque style in Danish architecture during the 1730s–1740s. He design ...

as royal architect and supervisor.The Danish Monarchy & Amalienborg
- In and Around Copenhagen and Denmark - Copenhagenet.dk. Retrieved 16 February 2012. The project consisted of four identical mansions (see below), built to house four distinguished families of nobility from the royal circles, placed around an octagonal square. These mansions (now called Palaces) form the modern palace of Amalienborg, albeit much modified over the years. Moltkes Palais 1756 by de Lode

As a royal residence

When the Royal Family found themselves homeless after the Christiansborg Palace 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 A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers. See also * Military academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally pro ...

. 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. Since that date successive royal family members have lived at Amalienborg as a royal residence and kings have lent their names to the four palaces; Christian VII's Palace, Christian VIII's Palace, Frederick VIII's Palace and Christian IX's Palace. A colonnade, designed by royal architect Caspar Frederik Harsdorff, was added in 1794–1795 to connect the recently occupied King's palace, Moltke Palace, with that of the Crown Prince, Schack's Palace.

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. Their exteriors were identical, but interiors differed. The site on which the aristocrats could build was given to them free of charge, 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 Christian VII (29 January 1749 – 13 March 1808) was a monarch of the House of Oldenburg who was King of Denmark–Norway and Duke of Duchy of Schleswig, Schleswig and Duchy of Holstein, Holstein from 1766 until his death in 1808. For his motto ...

's Palace, originally known as Moltke's Palace * Christian VIII's Palace, originally known as Levetzau's Palace * Frederick VIII's Palace, originally known as Brockdorff's Palace *

Christian IX Christian IX (8 April 181829 January 1906) was King of Denmark from 1863 until his death in 1906. From 1863 to 1864, he was concurrently Duke of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg. A younger son of Frederick William, Duke of Schleswig-Holstei ...

's Palace, originally known as 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

. 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 1750–54 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 Panelling (or paneling in the U.S.) is a millwork wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials. Panelling was developed in antiquity to make roo ...

'') 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 formally opened on 30 March 1754, the King's thirtieth birthday. Due to Eigtved's death a few months later, final work such as the Banqueting Hall, was completed by Nicolas-Henri Jardin. Immediately after the Christiansborg Palace fire in February 1794 and two years after the death of the original owner, the royal family, headed by the King

, purchased the first of the four palaces to be sold to the royal family, and commissioned Caspar Frederik Harsdorff to turn it into a royal residence. They occupied the new residence December 1794. After Christian VII's death in 1808, Frederick VI used the palace for his Royal Household. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs used parts of the Palace from 1852 to 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 sculptor Johan Christof Petzold, was severely damaged, causing parts of Amalienborg Place to be closed to prevent injury. In 1982, exterior and interior restoration began that completed in early 1996, Copenhagen's year as European Capital of Culture. In 1999,

Europa Nostra Europa Nostra (Italian for "Our Europe") is a pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage, representing citizens' organisations that work on safeguarding Europe's cultural and natural heritage. It is the voice of this movement to relevant inte ...

, an international preservation organisation, acknowledged the restoration with by presenting a medal. The palace is occasionally open to the general public for tours.

Christian VIII's Palace

Christian VIII's Palace, also known as Levetzau's Palace, is the northwestern palace and was originally built for Privy Councillor Count Christian Frederik Levetzau in 1750–60. Queen Margrethe II's grandson Prince Felix currently lives in an apartment in the palace. Prince Joachim and Princess Marie, who reside permanently in France, have also had an apartment made available to them in the palace when they perform engagements in Denmark. After Eigtved's death in 1754, royal architect Lauritz de Thurah carried out supervision of the building's construction according to Eigtved's plans. The palace was sold by the

entailed In English common law, fee tail or entail is a form of trust established by deed or settlement which restricts the sale or inheritance of an estate in real property and prevents the property from being sold, devised by will, or otherwise alien ...

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 A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

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 An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

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 Alexandrine is a name used for several distinct types of verse line with related metrical structures, most of which are ultimately derived from the classical French alexandrine. The line's name derives from its use in the Medieval French ''Roman ...

. After the death of Christian X the Palace was placed at the disposal of Prince Knud, the

Heir Presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question. ...

. The palace was the home of

Crown Prince Frederik Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, Count of Monpezat, (Frederik André Henrik Christian; born 26 May 1968) is the heir apparent to the Danish throne. He is the elder son of Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik. Early life Crown Prince Frede ...

until his marriage in 2004. From 2018 to 2019, Queen Margrethe II's eldest grandchild Prince Nikolai lived in an apartment in the palace. 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 to 1947 including original fittings and furnishings. Tours are sometimes held of the rooms on the piano nobile.

Frederick VIII's Palace

Frederik VIII's Palace, also known as Brockdorff's Palace, is the northeastern palace. It has been the home of

and the

Crown Princess Mary Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat, (born Mary Elizabeth Donaldson; 5 February 1972) is the wife of Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark. Frederik is the heir apparent to the throne, which means that should he succeed, Mary w ...

since their marriage. 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 king Frederick V. From 1767 it housed the Danish Military Academy, also known as the Army Cadet Academy (''Landkadetakademi''). In 1788 naval cadets replaced the army cadets until the academy moved to another location in 1827. The following year the palace was prepared to house king Christian VIII's son, Frederick 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 1827–28. 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 King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid. The latter lived there until her death in 2000. From 2006 to 2010 the palace underwent major renovation to accommodate the Crown Prince couple.

Christian IX's Palace

Christian IX's Palace is the southeastern palace, and is also known as Schack's Palace. It has been the home of

Queen Margrethe II Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is Queen of Denmark. Having reigned as Denmark's monarch for over 50 years, she is Europe's longest-serving current head of state and the world's only incumbent femal ...

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 Anna Sophie Schack née Rantzau and her step-grandson Count Hans Schack. A fire shortly after the change of ownership delayed completion by a couple of years. On 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

Prince regent A prince regent or princess regent is a prince or princess who, due to their position in the line of succession, rules a monarchy as regent in the stead of a monarch regnant, e.g., as a result of the sovereign's incapacity (minority or illness ...

, then Crown Prince Frederick, 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

until his death in 1906. The home remained untouched afterwards until 1948. In 1967, the Palace was restored for the successor to the throne, the then Princess Margrethe and Prince

Henrik Henrik is a male given name of Germanic origin, primarily used in Scandinavia, Estonia, Hungary and Slovenia. In Poland, the name is spelt Henryk but pronounced similarly. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (English), Heiki (Estonian), Heik ...

Royal Guard

Amalienborg is guarded day and night by Royal Life Guards (''Den Kongelige Livgarde''). Their full dress uniform is fairly similar to that of the Foot Guards regiments of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

: a scarlet tunic, blue trousers, and a navy

bearskin A bearskin is a tall fur cap, usually worn as part of a ceremonial military uniform. Traditionally, the bearskin was the headgear of grenadiers, and remains in use by grenadier and guards regiments in various armies. Bearskins should not be c ...

cap. The guard march from

at 11.30 am daily through the streets of Copenhagen and execute the changing of the guard in front of Amalienborg at noon. In addition, post replacement is conducted every two hours.Amalienborg
- The Danish Monarchy. Retrieved 16 February 2012. When the monarch is in residence, the King's Guard (''Kongevagt'') also march alongside the changing of the guard at noon, accompanied by a

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

that plays traditional military marches. The Guard Lieutenant (''Løjtnantsvagt'') is always alerted when Prince Frederik or another member of the royal family is in residence but the Queen is absent. There are three types of watches: King's Watch, Lieutenant Watch and Palace Watch. A King's Watch is when Her Majesty the Queen takes up residence in Christian IX's Palace. A Lieutenant Watch is when Crown Prince Frederik, Prince Joachim, or Princess Benedikte, takes the place as regent, when the monarch is unable to. A Palace Watch is when no member of the royal family is in the palace, and it is the smallest one.Amalienborg Palace
- Visit Copenhagen. Retrieved 11 January 2015.

Equestrian statue

The equestrian statue of King Frederik V 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 Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

in Denmark. The statue was finally unveiled in 1771, five years after King Frederik V's death in 1766.

Amaliehaven

The Amalie Garden ( da, Amaliehaven) is located between the waterfront and Amalienborg Slotsplads. Established in 1983, it was a gift from the A.P. Møller and Chastine McKinney Møller Foundation to the citizens of Copenhagen. The two-level garden was designed by Belgian architect Jean Delogne. It features marble sculptures and a central fountain designed by Italian

Arnaldo Pomodoro Arnaldo Pomodoro (born 23 June 1926) is an Italian sculptor. He was born in Morciano, Romagna, and lives and works in Milan. His brother, Giò Pomodoro (1930–2002) was also a sculptor. Pomodoro designed a controversial fiberglass crucifix fo ...

. It is owned jointly by the Danish state and the municipality of Copenhagen, and maintained by the Palaces and Properties Agency.

Axis alignments

The short axis on which Amalienborg lies, Frederiksgade (English: Frederik's Street) has been much discussed due to construction the building of the Copenhagen Opera House in 2001–04. Aligned on the short axis are: *

Frederik's Church Frederik's Church ( da, Frederiks Kirke), popularly known as The Marble Church () for its rococo architecture, is an Evangelical Lutheran church in Copenhagen, Denmark. The church forms the focal point of the Frederiksstaden district; it is loc ...

(Danish: Frederikskirke), commonly known as The Marble Church (Danish: Marmorkirken). * Amalienborg * Copenhagen Opera House The long axis on which Amalienborg lies is Amaliegade (English: Amalie Street).

References

External links

Amalienborg
at the Danish Monarchy official website
Copenhagen-Portal - Amalienborg Palace and History

See photos from Amalienborg Castle
{{Authority control Industrial buildings completed in 1760 Official residences in Copenhagen Castles in Denmark Rococo architecture in Copenhagen Tourist attractions in Copenhagen 1760 establishments in Denmark