The Royal Stables () is the mews (i.e., combined

stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...

s and carriage house) of the Danish monarchy which provides the ceremonial transport for the Danish royal family during state events and festive occasions. The Royal Stables are located at Christiansborg Palace on the island of Slotsholmen in central

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. In 1789, the number of horses reached a peak with 270 horses stabled. Nowadays, there are about 20 horses in the Royal Stables. The Royal Stables are regularly open to the public and include a small museum. The state coaches and other carriages are kept there, along with about 20 horses.

History

Copenhagen Castle

Already in the 16th century, a large zigzag shaped stable complex was located on Slotsholmen behind the Copenhagen Castle which housed the king's horses and carriages. In 1590, a foreign traveller counted 52 horses in the stables. During the reign of the horse enthusiast King Christian V at the end of the 17th century there were about 170 horses and 152 staff in the Royal Stables. There was direct access from the castle to the stables by means of a secret passage, and the king was seen there daily. After his accession to the throne in 1699, King Frederick IV carried out a large reconstruction of the stable complex, leading to a rectangular riding ground surrounded by new stables and carriage house.Gamrath, Helge: Københavns Slot. In: Hvidt et al, vol. 1, pp. 141–143. Furthermore, from 1703 to 1705 he had a new

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

building constructed adjacent to Frederiksholms Canal to house the

Crown Equerry The Crown Equerry is the operational head of the Royal Mews of the Royal Household of the Monarch, Sovereign of the United Kingdom. As executive head of the Royal Mews Department, he is responsible for the provision of vehicular transport for the ...

and the staff at the Royal Stables. The Crown Equerry building still exists and today houses the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

and the Ministry for Ecclesiastical Affairs.

Christiansborg Palace

Shortly after his accession to the throne in 1730, King Christian VI had the old and outdated Copenhagen Castle torn down to make way for a new

palace: the first Christiansborg Palace. The old stable complex behind Copenhagen Castle was also torn down to make way for a new and larger stable complex. During the construction work, the many horses of the Royal Stables were temporarily stabled at Frederiksberg Palace, Charlottenborg Palace and

Rosenborg Castle Rosenborg Castle () is a renaissance castle 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 Dutch Renaissance style, t ...

. The new and still existing stable complex was constructed from 1738 to 1745 by the architects Elias David Häusser and Nicolai Eigtved. The new complex included an outdoor riding ground surrounded by buildings containing an indoor riding arena as well as stables with room for a total of 87 riding horses and 165 carriage horses. Part of these stable buildings still remain unchanged since their inauguration in 1746 with an extravagant decoration of

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

pillars. The number of horses reached a peak in 1789 when 270 horses were stabled at Christiansborg. In the course of the 20th century, the horses were gradually replaced by cars and today about 20 horses are stabled in the Royal Stables.

Carriage horses

The horses in the Royal Stables today are for the most part either Kladrubers from the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

or Danish Warmblood, though this has not always been the case. For centuries locally bred

Frederiksborg horse The Frederiksborger is Denmark's oldest horse breed. They were tremendously popular throughout the Renaissance and Baroque periods and were considered luxury items. Today, the breed is rare, but has a loyal following. Stallions and mares undergo ...

s took pride of place in the harness on major state occasions, until problems due to

inbreeding Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely genetic distance, related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction, but more commonly refers to the genet ...

led to their use being discontinued in the mid-19th century. The horses are regularly exercised on Christiansborg's riding ground and in the streets of Copenhagen.

Literature

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References

External links

> Historical Collections > Coaches and horses
official website of the Danish monarchy.
> Castles and Gardens > Christiansborg Palace > The Royal Stables
official website of the Danish State Agency for Palaces and Cultural Properties. {{coord, 55, 40, 31.39, N, 12, 34, 41, E, type:landmark_region:DK, display=title Museums with year of establishment missing Monarchy of Denmark Indre By Museums in Copenhagen Stables Slotsholmen Tourist attractions in Copenhagen