Frederiksborg Slot

Frederiksborg Slot was, hands down, our favorite place to see in Denmark. It is a castle that floats! 

It is built on three islands and surrounded by a baroque garden and waterfall. It was originally built in the1560s by Frederik II and expanded by Christian IV between 1600-1620.  The Danish monarchs used it for two centuries, though now it is the Museum of National History.  

In 1859 the castle burned and through subscription it was rebuilt. The beer master Carl Jacobsen help fund the restoration in the 1880 and helped open the museum in 1882.  It is currently undergoing another round of restoration-- the bridge to the courtyard is under a tent.

courtyard with Neptune at the top of the fountain

Roman gods welcome you to the castle

Neptune being the most important since the castle is built on water

 The museum now contains Denmark's most important collection of portraits and historical paintings, as well as amazing examples of furniture, silver, glassware, clocks, etc of Danish history.  The top floors are dedicated to Danish history, focusing on the kings who built and lived in the castle.  The lower floors explore the more modern aspects of Danish history, including the writing desk of Hans Christian Andersen. 

the moat of the castle

inner courtyard

inner courtyard and the main entrance to the museum

 I went through the museum without Will-- he was working-- but we went back to explore the gardens.  The way that the boxwood bushes were perfectly trimmed and designed to read the initials of Christian IV or Frederik VII was amazing.  The trees were all so uniform in shape and size-- the team of gardeners for the castle certainly has fun.

self-portrait

Frederik IV, Christian VI, and Frederik V used these gardens all the time.  But the tightwad Christian VII (1766-1808) had no interest in maintaining the promenades or groves of trees. It was too expensive, apparently. By the 1930s, the gardens were in a very bad state and funding was finally made available to return the garden to its former glory.

the intricate gardens

amazing angled and sloped walls of grass with perfectly formed trees are everywhere

 The interior spaces of the castle are so overwhelming.  Every inch is covered in something to look at--more like gawk at-- and the audio guide (a free iPod) is completely worth your time. Room by room, it explains what you are looking at and why it is important to Danish history.

Christian IV and his queen

a gorgeous Danish silver fireplace cover

one of the hallways

One of the most spectacular rooms was the Great Hall, with its small balcony for musical entertainment.  The ceiling depicted scenes from Danish history, made easier to study with the mirrors reflecting up. Along the walls were full-length portraits of the Kings and Queens of Denmark, proving again that the majority were either Christian or Frederik.  I think about 1904 or 1907, King George comes into the picture. 

The Great Hall---amazingly ornate

An interesting piece was a massive globe made of silver.  It still works and the inner part showed how the planets, depicted as Roman gods or creatures, moved around the sun-- a new way of thinking.  The outer parts were the zodiac signs, moving as the stars do.  At the top, a demonstration of how the old way of thinking worked: the sun moving around the earth.

a time piece that showed the new thought of the day: the planets going around the sun

one of the many bedrooms

over 10,000 portraits are in the museum-- lots of them kings and queens

the ceiling is a painting of Gefion, the same goddess with the fountain in Copenhagen

The church, one of the grandest churches I have ever seen, was able to avoid a fire, therefore is all original.  This was here the Crown Prince Joachim married Princess Alexandra in 1995. From 1671 to 1840, the kings of Denmark were crowned in this church, and today it still functions as a small parish church.  Along the upper walkway, surrounding the windows, are shields of the knights of Denmark-- this is the chapel for the knights of the Order of the Elephant and the Grand Cross of Danneborg, two of the highest honors one can achieve in Denmark. 

the church

The organ was built in 1610 and it has never had to be restored. It has 1001 pipes and two billows, therefore needing two people to play it.

the pipe organ

the building looks like it floats

The Rose  or Knight's Room

the ceiling with real antlers for the deer

I do think that one of Will's favorite parts about the castle was that Neptune, in certain lights, was giving the horns of the devil.   Regardless, Frederiksborg Slot is a must see when in Denmark.