Rosenborg Castle

• 1. Introduction

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  Rosenborg Castle rose in 1606 as a country summerhouse on the outskirts of Copenhagen. Its patron, King Christian IV, was a Danish monarch with a strong interest in architectural projects. He worked with Bertel Lange and Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger. Together they shaped the building in the Dutch Renaissance style that characterized Danish construction of the period. Expanded repeatedly over the following two decades, the castle reached its present form by 1624.

  1624 is four centuries ago, and yet the rooms inside still carry objects from that era and earlier. What remained after the royals who built this place were long gone? And how did a summer house come to stand at the center of a garden that now draws millions of visitors every year?

• 2. A Century of Occupation

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  Danish regents occupied Rosenborg as their primary royal residence until around 1710, when the reign of Frederik IV drew to a close. For roughly a hundred years the castle functioned as a working royal home. After that, it stepped back from active royal life, though not completely.

  Twice the crown returned to Rosenborg in genuine emergencies. In 1794, Christiansborg Palace burned to the ground and the royal family needed shelter immediately. Rosenborg provided it. In 1801, British forces attacked Copenhagen, and the castle again served as a royal refuge. These two episodes were the only times after Frederik IV that Rosenborg was used as a royal residence.

  In 1838, the state opened the castle to the public. Among the first spaces visitors could explore was the Long Hall. The room had already changed purpose several times over its long life.

• 3. The Long Hall

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  Rosenborg's Long Hall was originally designed as a ballroom. By around 1700 its purpose had shifted, and it became the Royal Reception Room, used for formal banquets and royal gatherings. The name most people call it today, the Knight's Hall, only came into use during the second half of the 19th century.

  King Christian V left the most visible mark on the room. He commissioned twelve tapestries to record his victories in the Scanian War, a conflict fought from 1675 to 1679. Those tapestries still line the walls.

  The stucco ceiling now visible dates from the early 18th century. It places the Danish Coat of Arms at the center, ringed by the Orders of the Elephant and of Dannebrog. The side reliefs mark events from the opening years of Frederik IV's reign. They depict the liberation of the serfs, the founding of the dragoons, and the creation of the land militia. The painter Hendrick Krock contributed ceiling frescos representing the Regalia.

  Among the hall's main attractions are the coronation chair of Denmark's absolutist kings and the throne of the queens. Three silver lions stand before the queen's throne. The hall also holds a large collection of silver furniture, most of it dating from the 17th century. These visible holdings are not the only significant objects within the castle walls.

• 4. Crown and Collection

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  Inside a dedicated treasury at Rosenborg, the Crown Jewels and the Danish Crown Regalia are kept on display. A Coronation Carpet is stored alongside them. The Throne Chair of Denmark is also located within the castle's walls.

  The broader Royal Collections at Rosenborg span from the late 16th century, beginning with the era of Christian IV, through to the 19th century. Not all the objects came from monarchs. Some once belonged to the nobility and the aristocracy, giving the collection a reach wider than the royal family alone.

  Rosenborg is now state property, and its doors are open to anyone. The grounds surrounding the building carry their own layer of history, one that predates the castle itself.

• 5. The King's Garden

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  Kongens Have, which translates as The King's Garden, was embellished by Christian IV in the Renaissance style. The garden took shape before construction of the main castle began, making it older than the building it now surrounds. It is the oldest royal garden in Denmark.

  An estimated 2.5 million visitors walk through its grounds every year. The garden is a popular retreat for the people of Copenhagen. In summer, flowers bloom in front of the castle, as they have for centuries.

  The Royal Life Guards are garrisoned in barracks next to the castle. They still guard the building today. Their watch outlasted the era when Danish kings slept within these walls, and continues still.