Christiansborg Palace Phot by eimoberg Wikimedia

Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Christiansborg Palace


 

Christiansborg Palace is a palace and government building on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the seat of the Danish Parliament (Folketinget), the Danish Prime Minister’s Office, and the Supreme Court of Denmark.

Also, several parts of the palace are used by the Danish monarch, including the Royal Reception Rooms, the Palace Chapel and the Royal Stables. Let’s take a look at some of the most remarkable facts about it;

1.The palace is home to the three supreme powers

Christansborg castle, the seat of the Danish Parliament (Folketinget), Prime Minister and Supreme Court Photo by Matthias Schalk Wikimedia

The palace is thus home to the 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.

The name Christiansborg is thus also frequently used as a metonym for the Danish political system, and colloquially it is often referred to as Rigsborgen (‘the castle of the realm’) or simply Borgen. Christiansborg Palace is owned by the Danish Government, and is run by the Palaces and Properties Agency.

2.The present building, the third with this name, is the last in a series of successive castles

Views from Christiansborg Palace Photo by Suicasmo Wikimedia

The present building, the third with this name, 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. 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 back to 1826 and is in a neoclassical style. The showgrounds were built from 1738–46, in a baroque style.

3.The palace is roughly divided in the middle

The palace 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 first floor of the Parliament Wing is structured around the Lobby. 

Several parts of the palace are open to the public after published schedule with guided tours available, for a substantial fee. It is centrally located in Copenhagen’s Indre By (“City Center”) district.

4.Under the present palace lie the ruins of different castles 

Under the present palace lie the ruins of Bishop Absalon’s Castle and Copenhagen Castle. When the foundations of the present Christiansborg Palace were being cast, workers came across ruins of several buildings and parts of a curtain wall.

Experts were called in from the National Museum of Denmark and the ruins, which lay beneath the inner palace yard, were unearthed. Public interest in these ruins, which dated back to around the year 1167, was tremendous. It was therefore decided that the ruins should not be covered over again but preserved for posterity. 

5.The palace also has reception rooms

The Royal Reception Rooms at Christiansborg Palace are located on the ground floor and first floor in the northern half of the palace. The Rooms are used for official functions of the monarch such as banquets, state dinners, the New Year’s levée, diplomatic accreditations, audiences and meetings of the council of state.

The Reception Rooms are richly adorned with furniture and works of art rescued from the two earlier palaces, as well as decorations by some of the best Danish artists, such as Nikolaj Abraham Abildgaard, Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, Laurits Tuxen, Joakim Skovgaard and Bjorn Norgaard.

6.The palace also has a throne room 

The throne room at Christiansborg Palace, Copenhagen Photo by Richard Mortel Wikimedia

Facing the Palace Square is the oval Throne Room (Tronsalen) where foreign ambassadors present their credentials to Queen Margrethe II. The Throne Room gives access to the balcony where the Danish monarchs are proclaimed.

The Throne Room is decorated with a large ceiling painting by Kræsten Iversen, depicting how the Danish flag, Dannebrog, fell from the sky in Estonia in 1219.It is among the best throne rooms in the world. 

7.The palace also has a King Christian IX’s equestrian statue on the Ground Complex

A collection was started for the construction of a monument to King Christian IX shortly after his death in 1906. The following year four artists were invited to compete for the commission. There was no discussion about the position of the statue.

It would be erected on Christiansborg Riding Ground Complex as a pendant to the statue of King Frederick VII on the Palace Square. The monument took a long time to complete, but in 1927, 21 years after the king’s death, it was unveiled on the Riding Ground Complex. 

8.The palace also has several other features

Christiansborg Palace Phot by eimoberg Wikimedia

The palace also has several other features including;The Marble Bridge and the pavilions, The View, The Court Theatre, Riding Ground Complex, The Palace Chapel and the Tower which is still the tallest in the city, was made accessible to the public, while the interior of the Tower was refurbished and a restaurant opened in place of what was once a storage room.

There is also a Riding School which is located in the northern wing of the Riding Ground Complex, opposite the Court Theatre. The Riding School is used for horse shows and to exercise the horses of the Royal Stables. On occasion it is also used for various cultural events such as opera or theatre performances.

9.There are several hotels and restaurants near it

There are several hotels and restaurants near it including;Copenhagen Downtown Hostel (0.12 mi), City Apartment in Kopenhagen mit 2 Schlafzimmern 6 Schlafplätzen (0.06 mi), Nybro Apartment, Motel One Kopenhagen (0.18 mi) and City Apartment in Kopenhagen mit 2 Schlafzimmern 3 Schlafplätzen (0.15 mi). 

The restaurants near it include; Marv & Ben which is 0.09 miles away, Restaurant 1733 (0.06 mi), Bastard Café (0.11 mi) Cafe Katz (0.08 mi) and Kanal Cafeen which is 0.11 miles awaym 

10.The palace also contains the Queen’s Tapestries which is the most imposing room in the palace

The palace also contains the Queen’s Tapestries which is the most imposing room in the palace. The Danish business community marked the occasion of Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II’s 50th birthday in 1990 by ordering a gift of 11 tapestries. Bjørn Nørgaard painted the full-size sketches upon which the tapestries were woven. The tapestry series depicts 1000 years of Danish history.

The palace is steeped in history and the rooms are regal. The ruins below the palace are fascinating and you can see remnants of two previous castles. The stables house the current royal horses and the museum displays the history of past kings and their horses. Well worth the visit!