Christiansborg Palace, Copenhagen, Denmark

Christiansborg Palace is the seat of the Danish Parliament, the Danish Prime Minister's Office and the Danish Supreme Court. Also, several parts of the palace are used by the monarchy, including the Royal Reception Rooms, the Palace Chapel and the Royal Stables.

The palace is thus the house of Denmark's three supreme powers: the executive power, the legislative power, and the judicial power. It is the only building in the world that houses all three of a country's branches of government. Christiansborg Palace is owned by the Danish state, and is run by the Palaces and Properties Agency.

The present building, the third to be built on the site, is the last in a series of successive castles and palaces constructed on the same site since the erection of the first castle in 1167. The first castle on the site was Absalon's Castle. According to the Danish chronicler Saxo Grammaticus, Bishop Absalon of Roskilde built a castle in 1167 on a small island outside Copenhagen Harbour. Since the early fifteenth century, the various buildings have served as the base of the central administration; until 1794 as the principal residence of the Danish kings and after 1849 as the seat of parliament.

The palace today bears witness to three eras of Danish architecture, as the result of two serious fires. The first fire occurred in 1794 and the second in 1884. The main part of the current palace, finished in 1928, is in the historicist Neo-baroque style. The chapel dates to 1826 and is in a neoclassical style. The showgrounds were built 1738-46, in a baroque style.

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User Reviews

Hoda Mahmoud (2 months ago)
Palace was closed as we arrived super late, it wa decorated decently with lighting Christmas trees. The garden was fascinating and it is easily walkable distance to city center or shopping malls. Loved it from the outside.

Tomas Sharky (2 months ago)
You can visit this place for free during Culture Night in Copenhagen. The palace looks STUNNING, just look at the pictures. I think it is a must to see place when visiting Copenhagen.

Fernando Moreno (2 months ago)
Kæde af japanske restauranter i København. Meget god kvalitet og rigelige mængder. Hermoso palacio en el centro de Copenhague. Hacen falta varias horas para visitarlo. Enorme zona hípica justo detrás. Kedja av japanska restauranger i Köpenhamn. Mycket god kvalitet och rikliga kvantiteter. Сеть японских ресторанов в Копенгагене. Очень хорошее качество и обильные количества. Kjede av japanske restauranter i København. Meget god kvalitet og rikelig mengder. Kette japanischer Restaurants in Kopenhagen. Sehr gute Qualität und reichlich Mengen. 哥本哈根的日本餐館連鎖店。質量非常好，數量充足。コペンハーゲンにある日本食レストランのチェーン。非常に良い品質と豊富な量。 سلسلة المطاعم اليابانية في كوبنهاغن. نوعية جيدة جدا وكميات وفيرة. Łańcuch japońskich restauracji w Kopenhadze. Bardzo dobra jakość i obfite ilości. Keðja japanska veitingastaða í Kaupmannahöfn. Mjög góð gæði og nóg magn. Chaîne de restaurants japonais à Copenhague. Très bonne qualité et quantités abondantes.

Eric Sorensen (3 months ago)
Absolutely breathtaking castle! The grounds are spectacular. The castle itself serves as a museum of Danish history as well. Definitely worth a visit.

Robin Kennedy (3 months ago)
The tower is free to go up which is amazing because it offers a panoramic view of the city. I hear the restaurant is nice but haven't dared looking at the prices. Great place to visit if you want to feel like you are on top of the city

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

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Historic Site of the week

Beersel Castle

The moated castle at Beersel is one of the few exceptionally well-preserved examples of medieval fortifications in Belgium. It remains pretty much as it must have appeared in the 15th century. Remarkably, it was never converted into a fortified mansion. A visitor is able to experience at first-hand how it must have felt to live in a heavily fortified castle in the Middle Ages.

The castle was built in around 1420 as a means of defence on the outer reaches of Brussels. The tall, dense walls and towers were intended to hold any besiegers at bay. The moat and the marshy ground along its eastern, southern and western edges made any attack a formidable proposition. For that reason, any attackers would have chosen its weaker northern defences where the castle adjoins higher lying ground. But the castle was only taken and destroyed on one occasion in 1489, by the inhabitants of Brussels who were in rebellion against Maximilian of Austria.

After being stormed and plundered by the rebels it was partially rebuilt. The pointed roofs and stepped gables are features which have survived this period. The reconstruction explains why two periods can be identified in the fabric of the edifice, particularly on the outside.

The red Brabant sandstone surrounds of the embrasures, now more or less all bricked up, are characteristic of the 15th century. The other embrasures, edged with white sandstone, date from the end of the 15th century. They were intended for setting up the artillery fire. The merlons too are in white sandstone. The year 1617 can be clearly seen in the foundation support on the first tower. This refers to restorations carried out at the time by the Arenberg family.

Nowadays, the castle is dominated by three massive towers. The means of defence follow the classic pattern: a wide, deep moat surrounding the castle, a drawbridge, merlons on the towers, embrasures in the walls and in the towers, at more or less regular intervals, and machiolations. Circular, projecting towers ensured that attacks from the side could be thwarted. If the enemy were to penetrate the outer wall, each tower could be defended from embrasures facing onto the inner courtyard.

The second and third towers are flanked by watchtowers from which shots could be fired directly below. Between the second and third tower are two openings in the walkway on the wall. It is not clear what these were used for. Were these holes used for the disposing of rubbish, or escape routes. The windows on the exterior are narrow and low. All light entering comes from the interior. The few larger windows on the exterior date from a later period. It is most probable that the third tower - the highest - was used as a watchtower.

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