Royal Copenhagen: palaces and castles of the Danish capital

Denmark is one of the remaining monarchies in Europe and also the third oldest (after Norway and Scotland) dating over 1000 years back. Copenhagen has been the seat of the Danish Crown since 1416, and that comes with a lot of royal buildings spread around the city and its surroundings. This is a short guide on the palaces and castles in Copenhagen that you can visit in your next visit to the Danish capital.

1. Amalienborg Palace

Amalienborg is the current home of the Danish Royal Family and the currently the most important of the castles in Copenhagen. It consists of four identical buildings, originally for four noble families. When the former royal Palace of Christiansborg burned in 1794, the royal family moved to the complex.

The Amalienborg complex

One of the quadruplet buildings of the Amalienborg Palace

The Palace security is in hands of the Danish Royal Guard, and the Changing of the Guard ceremony has become a popular attraction. The ceremony starts every day at noon.

Changing of the Guard ceremony at Amalienborg

The Palace complex also includes Frederik’s Church, popularly known as the Marble Church (Marmorkirken). This Evangelical Lutheran church was designed in 1740 with St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome as inspiration, although it wasn’t finished and opened to the public until 1894. The church, as the rest of the royal complex, is the focal point of the Frederiksstaden district.

The Marble Church

Rosenborg Castle

This renaissance castle was originally built in 1606 as a country summer house for King Christian IV. This castle only served as a royal residence until 1710 with two exceptions: the first after Christiansborg Palace burned down in 1794 and the second during the British attack on Copenhagen in 1801.

The Renaissance-styled Rosenborg Castle

The Rosenborg Palace is known for hosting the Royal Collections, with artifacts spanning from the 16th to the 19th century. The main tourist attraction is the Schatzkammer, which displays the Crown Jewels and the Danish Crown Regalia, as well as the Coronation Carpet. The Throne Chair of Denmark is also located in the castle.

The surrounding gardens, Kongens Have, are of special attraction for the locals on summer days. However, the best time to visit the gardens is either during the spring in blooming season or in the autumn when the trees change color.

Kongens Have in the Spring

Kongens Have in the Fall

3. Christiansborg Palace

Cristiansborg Palace is one of the most important caltles in Copenhagen. The original building dates back to the foundation of the city, while currently it is shared between the Royal Family and the Parliament, the Supreme Court and the Prime Minister’s office. You can climb up the Parliament Tower for free or have a tour in the palace rooms. I really recommend at least a visit to the tower, since it is one of the best spots to get fantastic views of the city.

Christiansborg Palace

A little history of this castle in Copenhagen

Christiansborg is historically the most important of the Danish castles in Copenhagen. Here’s a sneak peek on its history.

The first castle on the site was built in 1167 by bishop Absalon on a small island outside the harbour. The building of this castle made the founding of the city of Copenhagen official.

Absalon was a Danish Bishop of Roskilde and later Archbishop of Lund that lived in the 11th century and led the Christianization of Viking territories in the Baltic Sea as the hand of King Valdemar I. He is still acclaimed for being key in Danish History, with statues all over the city and ships, buildings and even the University’s online campus being named after him.

Absalon’s fortress was demolished by the King and a new castle was built: Copenhagen Castle. However, it still belonged to the Bishop of Roskilde. However, in the 15th century it was usurped by the King, becoming the principal residence of Danish kings and centre of the government. After several reconstructions during the century, the first Christiansborg was built in 1745 in the baroque style. However, the castle burned to the ground in 1794. They rebuilt it in a French Empire style and was finished in 1828. After the introduction of the constitutional monarchy in 1849, the south wing was used as a meeting place for the two houses of the Danish Parliament. A new fire destroyed the second Palace in 1884. In 1928 the third and current Christiansborg Palace was built.

Currently, Christiansborg is home of the three executive powers: executive, legislative and judicial power. Thus, Christiansborg (colloquially Borgen) is often used by the Danes as a metonym for the Danish political system. It is roughly divided in the middle, with the Parliament located in the southern wing and the Royal Reception Rooms, the Supreme Court and the Prime Minister’s Office in the northern wing. The Palace premises also contain the ruins of Absalon’s castle, the Palace Chapel and a Riding Ground Complex with the royal stables, among other features. The most touristic part of Christiansborg is, undoubtedly, its tower, offering a free 360º view of the city (I will elaborate on that in Part 2).

The Christiansborg Palace and the Royal Stables

Statue of Bishop Absalon looking at its former Castle

4. Frederiksberg Palace

Frederiksberg Palace is a royal residence located in Frederiksberg Gardens (Frederiksbergs Have), one of the largest parks in the city. It was finished in the Baroque style in 1735 as the royal family’s summer residence. It was used as such until the mid-19th century, when it became the Royal Danish Military Academy. From the Palace, you will have a fantastic view of the Gardens.

Frederiksberg Palace at the Frederiksberg Gardens on a sunny afternoon. Photo credit: Daniel Rasmussen

Frederiksberg Gardens is a great forest-like park that gets crowded in the summer for good weather and the winter when there’s snow, but it is always very peaceful. It’s a great spot when you’re traveling with kids since it is home to the Copenhagen Zoo, one of the oldest ones in Europe.

5. Outside of Copenhagen

Besides the castles and palaces in the city center, there are some located close to Copenhagen that you can visit on a day trip. Here’s a list

Frederiksborg slot

Frederiksborg slot is a wonderful example of the Danish renaissance castles that are spread out throughout the country. The brick walls, blue copper roofs and the baroque gardens make for a great day trip.

Kronborg slot

Kronborg slot is another castle located further north in the island, overviewing Sweden. This castle was made famous for being the location of the events of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

The Hermitage

The Hermitage is a hunting lodge build for the king in his personal hunting forest. It was originally built to host royal banquets during hunts. In this forest (Dyrehaven), now a public park, you can see herds of deers roaming around.

Roskilde Palace

Roskilde Palace is a yellow baroque palace built in the first half of the 18th century and used by the royal family when they were passing through or attending royal funerals in the Roskilde Cathedral. Today it is used for exhibitions, concerts and other cultural events.

Photo credit: Richard Mortel with CC BY 2.0

Closing statement

As you can see, Copenhagen is a wonderful city. It is not as known as other European capitals, but it is still full of things to see and experience, a vibrant atmosphere, great places to eat and a gastronomy of its own, stunning architecture and some of the friendliest people you will ever meet. Continue reading about Copenhagen!

→ Top 15 things to do in Copenhagen, Denmark

→ Where to eat and drink in Copenhagen: best restaurants and bars

Make sure you don’t miss out in any of Copenhagen’s activities by purchasing your tickets in advance!

Also, if you have already decided to travel to the capital of Denmark, make yourself familiar with the best ways to move around and the best places to stay, and if you are staying a bit longer make sure you have a look at the best day trips from Copenhagen. A post will also come soon on the best places to eat in Copenhagen. If you already fell in love with Denmark, make sure you check out our post about North Jutland, the Northern part of the Danish peninsula, which is a fantastic and lesser known region full of dramatic landscapes and quirky towns:

→ North Jutland: a beginner’s guide to the North of Denmark

Denmark is a wonderful country, not only in beauty, but in many other ways and I would like people to fully get to know it and enjoy it, instead of just using it as a starting point for Baltic cruises. So, make sure to stay tuned with Feast of Travel!

PIN IT: