Find out about Amalienborg Palace and museum, the home of the Danish Royal family.
We have walked though the impressive large courtyard that is the centre of the Amelienborg Palace, home of the Danish Royal family. Today, mum and I have left the boys for the morning and head off through the drizzle on the big red bus. Passing the Carlsburg Glyptotek (on of the Danish art museums that is also on my list to visit), we glimpse some of the statues outside then ride through the grey morning.
Once at Amalienborg we make our way through the courtyard and quickly inside, the rain is becoming heavier. There is a small fee but no queues and soon, we enter the Antechamber, filled with portraits of the Royal family, past and present.
During the first half of the 19th century, Christian VIII and Queen Caroline Amalie, the first royal couple to reside here, used this room as a study.
However, the portraits that catch my eye are of Christian IX and Queen Louise’s children. Due to the children’s advantageous marriages, Christian IX and Queen Louise became known as ‘Europe’s in-laws’.
Prince Frederik VIII is shown here at the age of nine. He succeeded his father as the king of Denmark in 1906 at the age of 63. Prince Vilhelm was the next eldest, depicted here at the age of eight. He later became George I of Greece.
Princess Thyra was the youngest of their children, here she is just four years old although she would grow up to become the Duchess of Cumberland. Princesses Alexandra and Dagma were the oldest girls in the family, in this portrait they are aged twelve and nine respectively. Later they became Queen Alexandra of England and Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia.
It strikes me that there are a lot of Frederiks and Christians to take in here and at this point a timeline of their reign is quite useful:
- Frederik VI (1808- 1839)
- Christian VIII (1839 – 1848)
- Frederik VII (1848 – 1863)
- Christian IX (1863 – 1906)
- Frederik VIII (1906 – 1912)
- Christian X (1912 – 1947)
- Frederik IX (1947 – 1972)
Next we move along to Frederik VIII’s study, furnished in the renaissance revival style, which was very fashionable in the latter half of the 1860’s. The heavy furniture, complete with imitation gold leather wall coverings, supply the look with a masculine finish. This study is, in fact, an approximate recreation as many of the objects from the original room were given away after the King’s death in 1912. It looks pretty convincing to me, though I’m no expert.
The yellow and red are intended as a theme, chosen to associate the look with the House of Oldenburg. This lineage of the Royal Family had died out with Frederik VII and the colorings here underline the kinship of Oldenburg with the new House of Glücksburg. A statuette of Christian IV, the best know king from the Hose of Oldenburg, also serves the same end.
Next is the dining room. We are told that this rather small room stands almost exactly as it did when Christian X and Queen Alexandrine lived in the palace from 1899 until their deaths in 1947 and 1952 respectively. It strikes me as a rather intimate, family oriented room, the dining table and furniture being well preserved. The decorative plates adorning the wall were amongst Christian X and Queen Alexandrine’s wedding presents in 1898. Included in the gifts was a complete and unique set from Royal Copenhagen. The set shows motifs from the town of Randers and the surrounding area – in memory of the King’s time as a young soldier in Randers.
A little further on is Queen Louise’s (wife of Christian IX) private salon. This sumptuous though crowded room (see picture at the beginning of the post) was changed several times up until her death in 1898 with reupholstered furniture, new curtains and new objects being added. In particular, photos and paintings of the large family were a favorite of the Queen who conducted her correspondence with relatives from here, many of whom resided in other European ruling houses. She was also very talented at needlework and spent many hours in this room dedicated to her hobby.
Christian IX’s study contains trinkets, draperies, heavy curtains and tassels typical of the Victorian era. The furnishings have been collected from Christian IX’s study in the Yellow Palace (where the family resided before his accession to the throne), however, much of it is originally from the time of his reign.
The many photos were a new phenomenon at the time but also serve to demonstrate that Christian IX was a family man, attesting to his status of Europe’s father in law. As photographs were still expensive to produce in this era, they also, in part, served as status symbols.
The palace itself was built in the 1750’s after the previous summer palace on the site burnt down, decades earlier in 1689. Indeed the royal family moved here after Christiansborg burnt down and the four royal residences that surrounded the square have worked so well for more than 200 years that the monarchy never moved back, despite Christiansborg having been rebuilt twice. Part of the allure of Amalienborg is that it is not just one but four palace residences meaning that the royal family can divide the residences between the monarch, the heir and other members of the family.
By now we have learnt a great deal about the history and life of the Danish Royal families, without any sightings of Fred & Mary or indeed Queen Margarithe. We are in need of a rest. We exit the palace grounds towards the Marble Church (Frederik’s Church, although which Frederik is unclear) and walk back towards Kastellet to find the cosy Oscar’s for a coffee.
After our coffee, we enjoy glimpses into pretty little courtyards along Bredgade that are part of Frederiksstaden – the town plan that included Amalienborg as the centre. We make our way back towards the apartment to pick up the boys for an afternoon outing to the National Museum.
Would I Return?
No. Not unless I had a reason to visit. This is a small museum and is interesting enough but it is a museum within the Amalienborg Palace (slot) and, not a tour of the royal residences. It gives some insight into history and culture, particularly of the royal family but as far as palaces go, there is not enough here to warrant a further visit. That is, unless I am invited to tea with the Queen.
For visitors information see Amalienborg Palace & Amalie Garden website.
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