Amalienborg
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Amalienborg | |
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General information | |
Architectural style | Rococo |
Town or city | Copenhagen |
Country | Denmark |
Coordinates | 55°41′02.5″N 12°35′36″E / 55.684028°N 12.59333°E |
Construction started | 1750 |
Completed | 1760 |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Nicolai Eigtved |
Amalienborg (Danish pronunciation:
History
The first palaces on the site
The
It included a garden, a replacement for the "Queen's Garden" which had been located beyond the city's western gate Vesterport, an area today known as Vesterbro, and which had been destroyed under siege from Sweden in 1659.
Work on the garden began in 1664, and the castle was built from 1669 to 1673. The King died in 1670, and the
Four years later on April 15, 1689, Sophie Amalie's son King Christian V celebrated his forty-fourth birthday at the palace with the presentation of a German opera, perhaps the first opera presentation in Denmark, in a specially-built temporary theatre. The presentation was a great success, and it was repeated a few days later on April 19. However, immediately after the start of the second performance a stage decoration caught fire, causing the theatre and the palace to burn to the ground, and about 180 people died.
The King planned to rebuild the palace, whose church, Royal Household and garden buildings were still intact. Ole Rømer headed the preparatory work for the rebuilding of Amalienborg in the early 1690s. In 1694, the King negotiated a deal with the Swedish building master Nicodemus Tessin the Younger, who spent some time in Copenhagen that summer reviewing the property. His drawing and model were completed in 1697. The King, however, found the plans too ambitious and instead began tearing down the existing buildings that same year, with the reclaimed building materials used to build a new Garrison Church.
The second Amalienborg was built by Frederick IV at the beginning of his reign. The second Amalienborg consisted of a summerhouse, a central pavilion with orangeries, and arcades on both side of the pavilion. On one side of the buildings was a French-style garden, and on the other side were military drill grounds. The pavilion had a dining room on the groundfloor. On the upper floor was a salon with a view out to the harbour, the garden and the drill grounds.
Development of Frederiksstaden by Frederick V
Amalienborg is the centrepiece of
The project consisted of four identical mansions (see below), built to house four distinguished families of nobility from the royal circles, placed around an octagonal square. These mansions (now called Palaces) form the modern palace of Amalienborg, albeit much modified over the years.
As a royal residence
When the Royal Family found themselves homeless after the
A colonnade, designed by royal architect Caspar Frederik Harsdorff, was added in 1794–1795 to connect the recently occupied King's palace, Moltke Palace, with that of the Crown Prince, Schack's Palace.
On the morning of 9 April 1940, the day of the German invasion of Denmark during World War II, Amalienborg palace was the site of an hour-long firefight between the Danish Royal Life Guards and the 2nd Battalion of 308th Infantry Regiment of the German 198th Infantry Division. The firefight ended after Christian X of Denmark called for a ceasefire to spare his country from destruction.[2]
The four palaces
According to Eigtved's master plans for Frederikstad and the Amalienborg Palaces, the four palaces surrounding the plaza were conceived of as town mansions for the families of chosen nobility. Their exteriors were identical, but interiors differed. The site on which the aristocrats could build was given to them free of charge, and they were further exempted from taxes and duties. The only conditions were that the palaces should comply exactly to the Frederikstad architectural specifications, and that they should be built within a specified time framework.
Building of the palaces on the western side of the square started in 1750. When Eigtved died in 1754 the two western palaces had been completed. The work on the other palaces was continued by Eigtved's colleague and rival, Lauritz de Thurah strictly according to Eigtved's plans. The palaces were completed in 1760.
The four palaces are:
- Christian VII's Palace, originally known as Moltke's Palace
- Levetzau's Palace
- Frederik VIII's Palace, originally known as Brockdorff's Palace
- Schack's Palace
Currently, only the palaces of Christian VII and Christian VIII are open to the public.
Christian VII's Palace
Christian VII's Palace is also known as Moltke's Palace, and was originally built for Lord High Steward Adam Gottlob Moltke. It is the southwestern palace, and has been since 1885 used to accommodate and entertain prominent guests, for receptions, and for ceremonial purposes.
Moltke's Palace was erected in 1750–54 by the best craftsmen and artists of their day under the supervision of Eigtved. It was the most expensive of the four palaces at the time it was built, and had the most extravagant interiors. Its Great Hall (Riddersalen) featured woodcarvings ( by Giovanni Battista Fossati, and is acknowledged widely as perhaps the finest Danish Rococo interior.
The mansion formally opened on 30 March 1754, the King's thirtieth birthday. Due to Eigtved's death a few months later, final work such as the Banqueting Hall, was completed by Nicolas-Henri Jardin.
Immediately after the Christiansborg Palace fire in February 1794 and two years after the death of the original owner, the royal family, headed by the King Christian VII, purchased the first of the four palaces to be sold to the royal family, and commissioned Caspar Frederik Harsdorff to turn it into a royal residence. They occupied the new residence December 1794.
After Christian VII's death in 1808, Frederick VI used the palace for his
After 200 years the facade, decorated by German sculptor Johan Petzold, was severely damaged, causing parts of Amalienborg Place to be closed to prevent injury. In 1982, exterior and interior restoration began that completed in early 1996, Copenhagen's year as European Capital of Culture. In 1999, Europa Nostra, an international preservation organisation, acknowledged the restoration with by presenting a medal.
The palace is occasionally open to the general public for tours.
Christian VIII's Palace
Christian VIII's Palace, also known as Levetzau's Palace, is the northwestern palace and was originally built for
After Eigtved's death in 1754, royal architect Lauritz de Thurah carried out supervision of the building's construction according to Eigtved's plans.
The palace was sold by the entailed estate of Restrup, which had been established in 1756 by Levertzau, the late owner. The family set one condition when they sold the building— that the Count's coat of arms should never be removed from the building. It can still be seen beside that of the monarch's.
The King's half-brother
Christian VIII died in 1848, and the
The palace was the home of
Today, there is little left of the remaining rococo interior; much of the interior reflects the changing taste and style of its residents over the years.
In the 1980s the palace was restored as residence for the Crown Prince, storage facilities for the Queen's Reference Library and a museum for the
Frederik VIII's Palace
Frederik VIII's Palace, also known as Brockdorff's Palace, is the northeastern palace. It has been the home of King Frederik X and Queen Mary since their marriage.
It was originally built for Count Joachim Brockdorff in the 1750s. Brockdorff died in 1763, and Lord High Steward Adam Gottlob Moltke acquired the palace. Moltke sold it two years later to King Frederick V.
From 1767 it housed the Danish Military Academy, also known as the Army Cadet Academy (Landkadetakademi). In 1788 naval cadets replaced the army cadets until the academy moved to another location in 1827.
The following year the palace was prepared to house king Christian VIII's son,
After the marriage was dissolved in 1837, various members of the royal family lived in the palace. In 1869, it became the home of
Christian IX's Palace
Christian IX's Palace is the southeastern palace, and is also known as Schack's Palace. It has been the home of
Building work was commenced in 1750 by Eigtved, and was supervised first by architect
It was originally commissioned by Privy Councillor Severin Løvenskjold, but in 1754 he had to give up due to economic difficulties. The project was taken over by Countess Anna Sophie Schack née Rantzau and her step-grandson Count Hans Schack. A fire shortly after the change of ownership delayed completion by a couple of years.
On 7 January 1757 Hans Schack married Countess Ulrikke Auguste Vilhelmine Moltke, daughter of Adam Gottlob Moltke, and as his son-in-law had use of the best artists and craftsmen to complete the interiors.
In 1794, the palace was taken over from private residence by the
It was later the home of
Royal Guard
Amalienborg is guarded day and night by
When the monarch is in residence, the King's Guard (Kongevagt) also march alongside the changing of the guard at noon, accompanied by a band that plays traditional military marches. The Guard Lieutenant (Løjtnantsvagt) is always alerted when Crown Prince Frederik or another member of the royal family is in residence but the Queen is absent. There are three types of watches: King's Watch, Lieutenant Watch and Palace Watch. A King's Watch is when Her Majesty the Queen takes up residence in Christian IX's Palace. A Lieutenant Watch is when Crown Prince Frederik, Prince Joachim, or Princess Benedikte, takes the place as regent, when the monarch is unable to. A Palace Watch is when no member of the royal family is in the palace, and it is the smallest one.[6]
Equestrian statue
The equestrian statue of King Frederik V was commissioned by Moltke, as Director for the Danish Asiatic Company, and it was made by French sculptor Jacques-Francois-Joseph Saly. Work began in 1753, and the foundation stone was laid in place in 1760 at the 100-year celebration of political absolutism in Denmark. The statue was finally unveiled in 1771, five years after King Frederik V's death in 1766.
Amaliehaven
The Amalie Garden (
Axis alignments
The short axis on which Amalienborg lies, Frederiksgade (English: "Frederik's Street"), has been much discussed due to construction the building of the Copenhagen Opera House in 2001–04.
Aligned on the short axis are:
- Frederik's Church (Danish: Frederikskirke), commonly known as The Marble Church (Danish: Marmorkirken).
- Amalienborg
- Copenhagen Opera House
The long axis on which Amalienborg lies is Amaliegade (English: "Amalie Street").
See also
References
- ^ a b The Danish Monarchy & Amalienborg Archived 2012-02-06 at the Wayback Machine - In and Around Copenhagen and Denmark - Copenhagenet.dk. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
- ISBN 9781846031175.
- ^ "Prins Nikolai har fået ny sambo: Far flytter ind". Her & Nu. 14 September 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ "His Royal Highness The Crown Prince". The Danish Monarchy. Archived from the original on 2014-11-08.
- ^ Amalienborg - The Danish Monarchy. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
- ^ Amalienborg Palace - Visit Copenhagen. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
External links
- Amalienborg at the Danish Monarchy official website
- Copenhagen-Portal - Amalienborg Palace and History
- See photos from Amalienborg Castle