Fredensborg Palace
Fredensborg Palace | |
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Fredensborg Slot | |
Dutch Baroque, Rococo | |
Town or city | Fredensborg |
Country | Denmark |
Coordinates | 55°58′57.34″N 12°23′42.98″E / 55.9825944°N 12.3952722°E |
Construction started | 1720 |
Completed | 1753 |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Johan Cornelius Krieger, Lauritz de Thurah, Nicolai Eigtved |
Fredensborg Palace (
History
At the end of the Great Northern War King Frederick IV asked architect Johan Cornelius Krieger, royal gardener to the court at Rosenborg Castle, to build him a small pleasure palace on the site of a farmyard named Østrup. Krieger built the French-inspired baroque palace 1720–1726, and the King himself took an active part in the planning of the building and grounds, and followed construction closely. The man responsible for the actual construction was General Building Master Johan Conrad Ernst, who was also responsible for the construction of Frederiksberg Palace.[1]
While the building was still under construction
The palace complex consisted of a small, almost square, 1+1⁄2-storey-high main palace with dome and lanterns. It is positioned exactly at the centre of what is known as a "hunting star" (Danish, jagtstjerne), a number of straight intersecting paths in a game hunting reserve. During a hunt it was permissible to shoot freely straight down the long paths, which radiated out from the centre. The dome hall measured 15 x 15 m (49 ft), and had a height of 27 m (89 ft). The sumptuous room featured stucco by C.E. Brenno and a plafond by Hendrick Krock.
In front of the main building was placed an octagonal courtyard encircled by the single-storey servants' wings, called Red Wing. It is the only red building at Fredensborg Palace, and it has open half-timbers under a red tile roof.
East of the octagon were the riding ring and the long stables building.
Further to the east and adjacent to the main palace was an Orangery and the one-storey building called Margrave House. The Orangery, which was equipped with huge glasshouse windows, was connected to the main building by a small secret passage, so that the royal family and the courtiers could walk to the chapel without getting their feet wet.
The palace chapel stood in the middle of the two buildings, and has an exaggerated copper spire, a pilaster-decorated façade facing the riding ring, and a heavily carved gable featuring a bust of Frederik IV in relief carved by Didrick Gercken.
On the other side of the church was the Courtiers Wing ("Kavalerfløj"), residences for the court's clerks and members of the royal household. This section of the palace was built from 1724 to 1726, and introduces elements of the Dutch Baroque style and Rococo.
The palace was extended throughout the early 18th century; however, the main structure of the palace has remained unchanged since its inauguration on 11 October 1722, the King's 51st birthday.[1]
Krieger completed his work on the palace with the erection of the “new Court Chancery building” in 1731. The black-glazed tile, half-hipped roof building is now known as The Chancellery House. It butted up to the riding-ring on the southern edge.
A major alteration of Krieger's original building was made in 1741–1744 when
In 1753 Nicolai Eigtved extended the palace by adding four symmetrically positioned corner pavilions with copper pyramid-shaped roofs to the main building.
Royal residence
In the 19th century,
Queen Margrethe uses Fredensborg as a spring and autumn residence, and it is the usual venue for her birthday celebrations every April. The Queen's younger sister, Princess Benedikte, married HH Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg at the Chapel of Fredensborg Palace on 3 February 1968.[citation needed]
Until her death, the late Queen Mother, Queen Ingrid used the Chancellery House at Fredensborg as her private residence. The Chancellery House is now the summer residence of Frederik X and Queen Mary.[2]
The park and gardens
The palace gardens are among Denmark's largest historical gardens, and are Denmark's finest example of a Baroque garden. These too were designed by Krieger, and were extended and altered during the 18th century.[1] The long, straight avenues which extend from the castle in a star-shaped pattern were recreated in the 1970s to 1990s. Between these avenues lies large wooded areas with winding paths. Most of the statues in the gardens were sculptured by Johannes Wiedewelt.[3]
Of special interest is the "Valley of the Norsemen" (
The area of the gardens closest to the palace is reserved for the royal family, but is usually open to the public in July.[4] Here are the kitchen gardens, which supply fresh vegetables for the household, and a modern orangery, which was opened in 1995.
In 2021, after extensive restorations and redesign of the gardens, the Fredensborg Palace Garden was awarded the prestigious
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A soldier marching in front of the palace
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A view of the palace from the garden
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Sculptures in the Valley of the Norsemen
Surrounding forests
Two of the forests in the surrounding area,
See also
Namesakes
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Fredensborg Palace and Palace Gardens - Agency for Palaces & Cultural Properties (ses.dk).
- ^ "Chancellery House". Kongehuset (in Danish). 2020-05-08. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
- ^ a b Fredensborg Palace - The Danish Monarchy website (kongehuset.dk). Retrieved 29 January 2011.
- ^ Welcome to Fredensborg Palace and Palace Gardens Archived 2013-10-26 at the Wayback Machine - Agency for Palaces and Cultural Properties (slke.dk).
- ^ "Fredensborg Castle Gardens achieves international honors". danishclub.dk. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
- ^ "Fredensborg Palace Garden presented with prestigious award". Royal Central. 2021-05-27. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
- ^ "Fredensborg Palace Garden". European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
- ^ "Denmark: Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List (8)". UNESCO. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
- "Royal Residences for 1000 years", Niels Peter Stilling (2003), Politiken Books.
External links
- Official website - From the Danish Monarchy website
- Fredensborg Palace | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMwL90pPHbA on Youtube