WALKING around Copenhagen, I lost track of time and distance traveled from the hotel. It was good sign. Clearly, I had a very interesting tour of the “small city” (as I was told).
But size is relative. I could swear Copenhagen is a small city where everything of interest can be reached on foot. Yes, true in some sense but there are more destinations that are best reached via the subway.
Rosenberg Castle is about half an hour walk from Copenhagen Admiral Hotel, possibly more, depending on your stride and pace.
If you plan to enter Rosenborg Castle, then I suggest you allot a few hours on your schedule to fully enjoy the tour of the renaissance castle turned museum of royal artifacts. It holds a collection of articles, some of which belonged to the nobility and the aristocracy, spanning 300 years from King Frederik II in the late 16th century to King Frederik VII in the 19th century.
The castle, when it was built, was intended to be a summerhouse that’s closer to the city, one of the architectural projects of Christian IV. It had the typical Dutch Renaissance style of the period. After it was erected in 1606, it underwent expansions -- first in 1613, doubling the length and size of the summerhouse, and in 1616 when the Long Hall was added as an extra story to the building and a few more additions -- until evolving into its present look by 1624. The changes turned the original little summer residence into a fashionable and comfortable residence for the Royal Family and household.
Until 1710, it was royal residence to the Danish regents. Twice, the Rosenborg castle was used as royal residence after the reign of Frederik IV, and both times during a crisis—in 1794 after Christianborg Palace burned down and in 1801 when the British attacked Copenhagen.
In 1838, the castle was opened to the public.
The Rosenborg collection is opulent -- luxuriously embellished household items displayed in richly festooned rooms. The compact size of the castle made it ideal to admire the collection at a closer distance.
The most important and most visited room in the castle would be the 1624-completed Long Hall on the third level. It was the ballroom for banquets and the Royal Reception Room in the 1700s and the Knight’s Hall in the later part of the 19th century.
Inside this hall are a large collection of (mostly) 17th century silver furniture, 12 tapestries on the wall depicting the King’s victories in the Scanian War, the 18th century stucco ceiling showing the Danish Coat of Arms along with reliefs depicting historical events from the reign of Frederik IV, frescoes representing the Regalia, and its main attraction -- the Throne Chair of Denmark aka the coronation chair of the absolutist kings and the throne of the queens with the three silver lions positioned in front.
Most interesting is the exhibition of the Crown Jewels and the Danish Crown Regalia. The magnificent royal jewelry collections take the spotlight in this dimly lit room in Rosenborg Castle Treasury, in the castle’s cellar.
Rosenborg Slot -- Rosenborg Castle and The Royal Danish Collections (Crown Jewellery & Treasury), is at Øster Voldgade 4, 1350 Copenhagen K. Train/Metro: Nørreport
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