The Palace of the Despots dominates the Upper Town of Mystra. It is a great complex of buildings belonging to different times of construction. They started to be built by the Franks, possibly by Guillaume de Villehardouin, and were completed by the Byzantines (the Despot was usually a son or brother of the Emperor).
These palace constitutes a great example of the Byzantine architecture. The whole building complex is L-shaped and has been well-preserved until our days. The palace has four constructions. Some of them have 4 storeys, while others are two-storey mansions. The first building was the residence of the noblemen and the second one was the throne hall.
The Despot used to live in the fourth building, a four-storey construction dating from 1350-1400. The fifth building, built in the 15th century, was the palace of the Paleologos family. All buildings have numerous arches, chambers, attics and cellars. The exterior area is quite austere.
References:Rosenborg Palace was built in the period 1606-34 as Christian IV’s summerhouse just outside the ramparts of Copenhagen. Christian IV was very fond of the palace and often stayed at the castle when he resided in Copenhagen, and it was here that he died in 1648. After his death, the palace passed to his son King Frederik III, who together with his queen, Sophie Amalie, carried out several types of modernisation.
The last king who used the place as a residence was Frederik IV, and around 1720, Rosenborg was abandoned in favor of Frederiksborg Palace.Through the 1700s, considerable art treasures were collected at Rosenborg Castle, among other things items from the estates of deceased royalty and from Christiansborg after the fire there in 1794.
Soon the idea of a museum arose, and that was realised in 1833, which is The Royal Danish Collection’s official year of establishment.