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This morning we were pleasantly surprised to discover that the weather forecast for overcast skies and intermittent rain was off the mark. Although cool and a little breezy, we would enjoy some sunshine throughout most of the afternoon as we toured the Rosenborg Castle and nearby gardens.
We managed to get a slightly earlier start than usual, walking to the Christianshavn metro station at 11:00 AM, and arriving at Nørreport station shortly thereafter. From this station, we had about a 20-minute hike before reaching the castle grounds.
Rosenborg Castle (Danish: Rosenborg Slot) is a Renaissance castle that was originally built as a pleasure palace in the early 1600s, and is an example of King Christian IV's many architectural projects during his long, 59-year reign between 1588-1648. He is remembered as one of the most popular, ambitious, and proactive Danish kings, who initiated many reforms and projects. But he embroiled Denmark in numerous wars, including the Thirty Years' War (1618–48), which devastated the Danish economy, and cost Denmark some of its conquered territories.
It was built in the Dutch Renaissance style, typical of Danish buildings during this period, and has been expanded several times, finally evolving into its present
condition by the year 1624. From the 1700s Rosenborg was no longer used as a royal residence, but became the place where kings placed their finest and rarest objects. It became a museum open to the public in 1838.
We spent about 30 minutes exploring the King's Garden ("Kongens Have"), a large public park adjacent to the castle, which is the country's oldest royal garden and was embellished in the Renaissance style by Christian IV shortly before the construction of the main castle. Today, the gardens are a popular retreat for the people of Copenhagen, and the walking paths, trees, plants and flowers make the gardens a very scenic and peaceful retreat from city life.
Cindy and I decided to buy tickets for admission to the castle, while Dee sat on a sunny bench outside the entrance to avoid the steep stairs and uneven walking surfaces inside. We proceeded to walk through many of the 24 rooms, spread over 3 floors, filled with period furnishings, tapestries and paintings. On the second floor, the ornate Great Hall, completed in 1624, is arguably the most impressive room of the castle.
It was originally intended as a ballroom, but by
Rosenborg Castle interior
Throne of the Queens, in the Great Hall, protected by three lions. 1700 it was used as Royal Reception Room and for banquets. Among the main attractions of Rosenborg are the coronation chair of the absolutist kings and the throne of the queens with the three silver lions standing in front. Christian V had the hall partly modernized with twelve tapestries depicting the King's victories in the Scanian War (1675–1679). The stucco ceiling seen today is from the beginning of the 18th-century, and it prominently displays the Danish Coat of Arms surrounded by the Orders of the Elephant and of Dannebrog.
After Cindy and I finished our tour inside the castle, we met Dee and ate panini sandwiches for lunch at a small snack bar on the castle grounds. On our way back to the metro station we stumbled upon the Copenhagen Botanical Garden, a botanical garden covering about 25 acres, that we later discovered is noted for its extensive complex of historical glasshouses dating from 1874.
The garden is part of the Natural History Museum of Denmark, which is itself part of the University of Copenhagen Faculty of Science. It serves both research, educational and recreational purposes. Copenhagen Botanical Garden is an informal garden with free admission. There are
conservatories, a museum and herbarium, a library, a shop selling plants and seeds, plus a small snack bar.
The botanical garden contains more than 13,000 species, and is arranged in different sections including: Danish plants (600 species), perennial plants (1,100 species), annual plants (1,100 species), rock gardens with plants from mountainous areas in Central and Southern Europe, and Conifer Hill which is planted with coniferous trees. We were surprised by the bucolic setting and scenic vistas we encountered as we strolled through a portion of the gardens, with a view toward the Palm House (one of 27 glasshouses in the gardens) in the distance.
We briefly considered visiting a so-called Butterfly Exhibition in the Palm House, but it looked like quite a trek for weary legs, so we opted instead to return to the Nørreport metro station for the ride back home.
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Jeni
non-member comment
The kings garden is impressive and I’ve never seen trees cut to look like a wall. I’m loving all the castles but the Rosenborg is one of my favorites so far and loved the history of the castle. Mitch, you deserved a quick snooze! I hope the weather is filled with more sunshine.