The Yellow Palace ( da, Det Gule Palæ), or ''Bergum's Mansion'', is an 18th-century town mansion situated at

Amaliegade Amaliegade is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark, which makes up the longer of the two axes on which the Rococo district Frederiksstaden is centred. Amaliegade extends from Sankt Annæ Plads to Esplanaden, passing through the central plaza ...

18, next to

Amalienborg Palace Amalienborg () is the official residence for the Danish royal family, and is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. Queen Magrethe ll lives here in winter and autumn. It consists of four identical classical palace façades with rococo interiors arou ...

, in the

Frederiksstaden Frederiksstaden is a district in Copenhagen, Denmark. Constructed during the reign of Frederick V in the second half of the 18th century, it is considered to be one of the most important rococo complexes in Europe and was included in the 2006 Danis ...

district of

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 ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. It is considered the first example of

Neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

in Copenhagen. Originally built as a burgher's home, the mansion was acquired by 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 ...

. Prince Christian of Glücksborg, later to become

Christian IX of Denmark 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-Holstein- ...

, took up residence there, and it became the birthplace of his children Frederick VIII of Denmark, Alexandra, Queen of the United Kingdom,

George I of Greece George I ( Greek: Γεώργιος Α΄, ''Geórgios I''; 24 December 1845 – 18 March 1913) was King of Greece from 30 March 1863 until his assassination in 1913. Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen, and seemed destined for ...

and Maria Feodorovna, Empress of Russia. Today the building is owned by the Danish Palaces and Properties Agency and houses the

Lord Chamberlain's Office The Lord Chamberlain's Office is a department within the British Royal Household. It is concerned with matters such as protocol, state visits, investitures, garden parties, royal weddings and funerals. For example, in April 2005 it organised th ...

History

18th century

When

was laid around 1748, it was envisioned as a uniform Rococo district. All new buildings had to comply with certain guidelines stipulated by

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 ...

, the district's master planner. After Eigtved's death in 1754 they were in principle upheld but as fashions changed they were somewhat relaxed. In the new cadastre of 1756, the property was listed as No. 71 I. It was by then owned by Johan Jegind. On Christian Gedde's map of St. Ann's Quarter from 1757, it was marked as No. 316. The Yellow Mansion was built from 1759 to 1764 for the merchant and slave trader

Frederik Bargum Henning Frederik Bargum (1733- 1813) was a Danish merchant and slave trader. The Yellow Mansion, his former home at Amaliegade 18 in Copenhagen, is now home to the Lord Chamberlain's Office. Early life Bargum was born in Copenhagen, the son of t ...

. The architect was

Nicolas-Henri Jardin Nicolas-Henri Jardin (22 March 1720 – 31 August 1799) was a French architect. Born in St. Germain des Noyers, Seine-et-Marne, Jardin worked seventeen years in Denmark–Norway as an architect to the Danish royal court. He introduced neoclassic ...

and he designed it in the

Neoclassical style Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing sty ...

Carl Friedrich Busky, 1775-1808

Carl Friedrich Busky (1743-1808), a wealthy merchant and Prussian consul, acquired the mansion in 1775. At the time of the 1787 census, No. 61 I was home to three households. Carl Friderich Busky resided in the building with his wife Ana Sophia Gad, their five-year-old daughter Ana Maria Elisabet, a coachman, a male servant and two maids. In the new cadastre of 1806, the property was listed as No. 123. Busky owned it until his death in 1808.

Royal ownership

Amaliegade 18 - Prince Valdemar interior

King Frederick VI purchased the mansion in 1810 to use it as a guest residence for relatives visiting the royal family. In 1837, King Frederick VI handed the property over to his wife's nephew Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg who had just arrived in Copenhagen from Germany. At this stage no one knew that he was later to become King

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 ...

as the first

Glücksburg Glücksburg (; da, Lyksborg) is a small town northeast of Flensburg in the district Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany and is the northernmost town in Germany. It is situated on the south side of the Flensborg Fjord, an inlet ...

king of Denmark. Prince Christian took up residence in the mansion and lived there with his family until 1865 when he had become king and moved into Amalienborg Palace. Later, his youngest son Prince Valdemar lived in the Yellow Palace with his family until his death in 1939 as its last royal resident.

Architecture

The building has been described as the first neoclassic building in Copenhagen. The site also includes ''Garderstalden'' (English: Guard's Stable), which was built in 1842 to designs by

Jørgen Hansen Koch Jørgen Hansen Koch (4 September 1787 – 30 January 1860) was a Neoclassical Danish architect. He was chief of the national Danish building administration from 1835 and director of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1844 to 1849. K ...

. It was used both for Christians af Glücksborgs 's horses and those of the horses of the

Royal Guard A royal guard is a group of military bodyguards, soldiers or armed retainers responsible for the protection of a royal person, such as the emperor or empress, king or queen, or prince or princess. They often are an elite unit of the regular arm ...

s who were on duty at the mansion. In 1923 the roof was converted into a Mansard roof with accommodation on the upper floor. The building was renovated and adapted by Bertelsen & Schewing in 2013. It contains administration in the ground floor and apartments on the upper floor.

References

External links

Source
{{Copenhagen historic houses Houses in Copenhagen Neoclassical architecture in Copenhagen Nicolas-Henri Jardin buildings Houses completed in 1764 1764 establishments in Denmark