Rosenborg Castle, Copenhagen, Denmark

Rosenborg Palace was built in the period 1606-34 as Christian IV’s summerhouse just outside the ramparts of Copenhagen. Christian IV was very fond of the palace and often stayed at the castle when he resided in Copenhagen, and it was here that he died in 1648. After his death, the palace passed to his son King Frederik III, who together with his queen, Sophie Amalie, carried out several types of modernisation.

The last king who used the place as a residence was Frederik IV, and around 1720, Rosenborg was abandoned in favor of Frederiksborg Palace.Through the 1700s, considerable art treasures were collected at Rosenborg Castle, among other things items from the estates of deceased royalty and from Christiansborg after the fire there in 1794.

Soon the idea of a museum arose, and that was realised in 1833, which is The Royal Danish Collection’s official year of establishment. The castle opened to the public in 1838, and there one could get a tour through the royal family’s history from the time of Christian IV up to the visitor’s own time. Along with the opening, there was a room set up with Frederik VI’s things, even though the king did not die until the following year.

The chronological review and the furnished interiors, which even today are characteristic of Rosenborg, were introduced here for the first time in European museum history. The collection continued to grow, and in the 1960s, the initiative was taken to set up a section at Amalienborg for the newer part of the Royal House. This idea was realised in 1977, and the museum has been housed in rooms at Christian VIII’s Palace since 1994. The line of division between the two sections is set at 1863 so that Rosenborg exhibits the Oldenborg kings and Amalienborg exhibits the Glücksborg monarchs.

References:

Kongehuset.dk

User Reviews

Anastacia (2 months ago)
You can't miss it, especially if you are a foreigner or tourist in Denmark. They have an amazing park outside too where kids can play and you can enjoy fantastic color gardens. You are allowed to sit and picnic on the grass. The castle is located very close to the Botanical Gardens, The Geological Museum and The National Art Gallery.

Eva Milstein-Touesnard (2 months ago)
I absolutely loved this place! I felt it was a bit expensive at first but after going through it, I think it was worth it! It was the perfect size: so much to explore but not too much that you get too tired. I especially loved all the cool old intricate clocks they had, especially the ones that still worked. The top floor is also stunning, it’s a gigantic ballroom with really cool rooms going off of it. Another cool thing is this huge chest that plays music on the hour or every 15 minutes or so (I honestly can’t remember). This is DEFINITELY worth trying to see/hear. It’s amazing to read about it. There’s also all of the royal jewels in the basement which are GORGEOUS. The lighting wasn’t optimal since the building is so old, so the pictures didn’t turn out great.m

Ryan Rothamel (3 months ago)
This was an interesting Castle to visit. It's cool to see how they used to live and what they used to think it was fashionable. You can go downstairs and see something called the treasury where they have all the jewels and wine and swords and weapons. The jewelry was probably my favorite part. I got to see the crown and it was beautiful.

Kendra Lamont (4 months ago)
Really liked this castle. Enjoyed walking through at our own pace. Although you walk through the doorway do not touch the handle..oops. Staff was very nice. Do not forget to go to the basement! Crown jewellery and weaponry very cool.

Sean Geraghty (4 months ago)
Great castle set in a lovely surround of garden right by the botanical gardens. Copenhagen is full of lovely architecture but this was one of my highlights. I never managed to venture inside but the view from afar is fantastic so make sure you view it from inside the park if you are to go. The building itself is grand with lovely architectural features around it.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright kangkeng

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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