My #1 Attraction with Copenhagen Card
Hey Christian! Hey Frederick! Guess what, you just called the names of 19 Danish kings. The royal family name their children after their grandfather. So you have Christian -> Frederick -> Christian -> Frederick.
I chose Rosenborg Castle to start with because it’s older than Christiansborg Palace.
From pleasure palace to favourite palace
Because the old medieval castle, Copenhagen Castle, was hopelessly old-fashioned, Christian IV was in need, as a young, ambitious Renaissance ruler, of a fitting residence in Copenhagen. In 1606 he therefore bought up 40 lots outside the Nørrevold wall, which apart from providing the space for his pleasure palace also had space for a magnificent park and a kitchen garden for supplying the court.
The castle began humbly as a small summer palace, but over the course of 28 years it went through four stages of development, and the castle we know today was finished in 1633. Christian IV loved to stay at the castle, which became his favourite. So great was his love for the castle that on his deathbed at Frederiksborg he commanded that he be transported by sleigh to Rosenborg in order to end his days there. He passed on in his bed chamber. (Rosenborg Official Website)
And just a brief on Christian IV.
Christian IV was the King of Denmark and Norway from 1588; crowned in 1596. Son of Frederik II and Sophie of Mecklenburg. He was married to Anna Cathrine of Brandenburg who died in 1612. He later married Kirsten Munk, in 1615. He was the father of more than 20 children, Frederik III and Leonora Christine among them.
Christian IV had received a thorough education by the time he was crowned. He sought to strengthen his kingdom, for example by giving good conditions for trade. He tried through military means to make Denmark the leading Baltic power but his intervention in the Thirty Years War in 1625-1626 misfired badly. After that, Sweden gradually became the leading power among the Nordic countries. In a naval battle against a Swedish fleet in 1644, the King lost his right eye. (Rosenborg Official Website)
He is frequently remembered as one of the most popular, ambitious, and proactive Dano-Norwegian kings, having initiated many reforms and projects.
Christian IV is renowned for his many city (town) foundations:
- Christianshavn, now part of Copenhagen, Denmark, founded as a fortification/garrison town in 1619.
- Christiania, now Oslo in Norway. After a devastating fire in 1624 the king ordered the old city of Oslo to be moved closer to the fortification of Akershus slot and also renamed it to Christiania. (Wikipedia)
So, he’s quite an interesting king. I do get a feel that he likes fancy things!
My Tips
Christian IV’s Crown Jewels is in the basement. Don’t miss it! And 1.5 hour is enough. (I spent 1 hour)
My Experience
It’s pretty expensive to go in if you don’t have a Copenhagen Card (90DKK). But since I have one, it’s on my to-do-list. The castle definitely looks dutch!
You cannot carry any bag (a small purse is fine) inside. There’s a locker room (free) (but only for bags and not luggage). Then at the entrance, you can pick up a sheet of guide. It helps a little. But if you have time, go to the Castle’s website to study about the rooms. I saw an American lady (with 1 child) who was very angry at the castle staff because things are not properly explained or marked. Or like me, go back to this website after visiting Rosenborg!
The Knight’s Hall. Where parties take place!
Then I moved to the basement. (The castle is pretty small, but if you want to take pictures of everything it can take up a long time!) I love these crowns! Although I think I’m born with a lack of appreciation on jewels. Most of the time when the Bible talks about crowns of glory, I cannot imagine it. Now I see them before me. It’s nice (yet I still don’t want to wear it?)
Rings of precious stones! It’s funny, when I looked at it I kept on telling myself that these are real stones and not the artificial ones. Even though to me I can’t tell the differences. It’s interesting, stones are important to God and in the Old Testament the high priest was to wear a breast plate with 12 precious stones. Sorry I mean jewels.
The twelve jewels in the breastplate were each, according to the Biblical description, to be made from specific minerals, none of them the same as another, and each of them representative of a specific tribe, whose name was to be inscribed on the stone. (Wikipedia. You can read more here. )
There are interesting armors in the basement too.
This one is my favorite. Doesn’t it look like a turkey?
And the good looking royal guard. I don’t understand what was going on in his head. Does he like his job? When I couch surf, I’d like to meet some who does this kind of job.
It’s not a big castle, and its highlight is really the crowns in the basement. I don’t know if I’d recommend people to spend $13.5 to see this castle. Hmmm. It’s a tough one since things are expensive in Denmark. I’d only say for myself that I wouldn’t. If I have to choose a castle in Denmark, it’d be Frederiksborg in Hillerød.
Traveling Mega
