Frederiksborg Palace, Hillerød, Denmark

Frederiksborg Palace was built as a royal residence for King Christian IV and is now a museum of national history. The current edifice replaced a previous castle erected by Frederick II and is the largest Renaissance palace in Scandinavia. The palace is located on three small islands in the middle of Palace Lake (Slotsøen) and is adjoined by a large formal garden in the Baroque style.

The oldest parts of the castle date back to the 1560 structure built by Frederick II. Although he remains its namesake, most of the current palace was instead constructed by Christian IV between 1602 and 1620. He employed the Flemish architects Hans and Lorenz van Steenwinckel and the castle follows the Dutch style employed by Christian IV for his new buildings in Copenhagen. After Christian IV's death in 1648, the palace was used mainly for ceremonial events.

The church has also been used as the knight's chapel for the Order of the Elephant and the Order of the Dannebrog since 1693; housed the Danish royal family's art collection, notably works on the life of Jesus by Danish painter Carl Heinrich Bloch; and was the site of the 1720 Treaty of Frederiksborg.

In the 1850s, the palace was again used as a residence by King Frederick VII. While he was in residence on the evening of December 16, 1859, a fire destroyed a large part of the main palace's interior. Reconstruction was funded by public subscription, with large contributions from the king and state, as well as the prominent philanthropist J. C. Jacobsen of the Carlsberg Brewery. Jacobsen also funded the museum of national history that now occupies Frederiksborg.

The Palace Church or Chapel of Orders serves as a local church today and is a part of the museum on the premises. The coats-of-arms of recipients of the Order of the Elephantand of the Dannebrog are displayed on the walls of the church. The museum houses an important collection of portraits and historical paintings.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Francis (2 months ago)
Totally worth coming here from Copenhagen. Only about a 40 minute train ride and then a 20 minute walk from the station. The town of Hillerod was quite nice as well. The main attraction is definitely the church and the grand hall. The castle is quite big over multiple floors which are accessible by elevators. The walk from the town street to the main entrance is all cobblestone. The gardens are also quite nice but since it's fall none of the fountains are working so doesn't give the same feel but still nice to see. The little ferry from the garden to the town was also not in operation.

Vy Nguyen (3 months ago)
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Frederiksborg Castle. The exhibitions were fascinating, offering a deep dive into history. The chapel, with its stunning pipe organ, was a highlight. The Great Hall left us in awe with its massive size and intricate ceiling details. The castle’s beauty and historical significance make it a must-visit. Highly recommend for anyone interested in history and architecture!

Suzanne Bevington (3 months ago)
Loved it here. It's so beautiful. The gardens are stunning. There's so many paintings to look at, there's not a square inch of any room which isn't either painted or covered in portraits. We nowhere near saw everything but just completely wore ourselves out.

Stephen Turner (3 months ago)
This place was incredible and maintained very well. The ceilings and rooms were incredible. To live here back in the day. I asked about the chandeliers and if they were replaced with electric ones. I was told no. These are the original candle chandeliers that were wired for electric. Which is cool because they were amazing.

razorrau1 (5 months ago)
This is one of the most amazing beautiful Castles we have ever walked through! It is so big and magnificent that we thought we would never get through the whole castle in one day. They had so much art and furniture there was just too much to see. By for one of the best things to do when in Copenhagen it is just less than an hour train ride.

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