If you are planning a visit to Copenhagen , you certainly cannot miss a visit to the famous Rosenborg Castle . In this article, you will discover all the most intimate secrets kept inside, how the rooms are developed and the story that tells each single room of the castle. Here you will find a detailed guide where we will analyze every single room inside the Castle at 360 degrees.
Rosenborg was built as a place of pleasure by Christian IV in the early 1600s and soon became the king’s favorite residence. With his countless building projects, lost wars and lively personality, this king has left an important mark on Denmark’s history. Christian IV ruled the country together with the Private Council, but with his son Frederick III in 1660 absolutism was introduced. Many of the furnishings of the castle reflect, in fact, the splendor of the absolute monarchy.
From 1700 Rosenborg totally changed its function, it was no longer used as a residence, but became the place where the kings put their most ancient rare and precious objects. Here the king’s guests could admire the wealth and well-being of the Danish Norwegian kingdom in Europe. Rosenborg was opened to the public and became a museum only in 1838. The exhibition is structured as a journey through time along the royal lineage. The great gallery and tower rooms on the second floor are not connected to a specific king. The same goes for the treasure, consisting of a large and rich collection of precious objects of the kings, often received as gifts from foreign sovereigns or conquered as spoils of war.
Let’s start with order from the ground floor :
- Winter hall of Christian IV / The room is exactly as it was in the days of Christian IV, with a unique collection of Dutch artwork. The movable tiles in the corners hide secret music channels. The equestrian statuette in gilded silver represents Christian IV. It is the prize he won in a tournament in which he competed during the celebrations for his coronation in 1596.
- Study of Christian IV / Family portraits hang on the walls. Above right, the mother of Christian IV, Queen Sofia, and above the desk her son, Duke Ulrich, with a dog. The large portrait shows Christian IV with the crown, now on display in the treasury.
- Bedroom of Christian IV / Christian IV died here in 1648. The king’s bloody clothing dates back to a naval battle between Denmark and Sweden in 1644, during which the king lost his sight in one eye. On the ceiling, Queen Sofia Amalia, wife of Frederick III is portrayed in the guise of the Greek goddess Hera. 3A / Toilette of Christian IV / This room is the lowest of three toilets, each with its own drain towards the moat, originally there was a door in the left wall. leading to the king’s bathroom. The tiles come from Delft and were applied in 1705.
- Dark Room / The wax sculptures portray Frederick III, Queen Sofia Amalia and their son, Prince George. The chair, designed to play jokes, could immobilize a person with hooks hidden in the armrests and then wet the seat with water that came out of a container hidden on the backrest. 4 A / Garden room / Christian IV’s bathroom was closed in 1706 and later this room was transformed into Queen Louise’s garden room, with a door opening directly onto the garden. Mythological paintings celebrate the power of wine.
- Marble Hall / Decorated with Italian scagliola in 1668, this room is an ode to the absolute monarch. From left: Swedish, Danish and Norwegian coat of arms. The cherubs on the ceiling offer royal insignia.
- Cristiano V’s room / Portraits of the king and queen Carlotta Amalia hang on the large wall. On the window sill in the corner it is possible to admire the end of a vent that connected the room with the opposite side of the castle.
- Stone Corridor / In the center of the room there is a large family tree of Christian IV. A large painting depicts the procession in front of Copenhagen Castle during which Frederick III was proclaimed hereditary king in 1660. 7 A / Torre delle scale / 1600 works are exhibited here: images of tournaments, equestrian representations with horses in various postures and royal castles, as well as botanical paintings by the German-Dutch artist Maria Sibylla Merian.
Let’s go to the first floor where we will find:
8. Corridor of Federico IV / Bust of Tsar Peter the Great.
9. Lacquered Princess Cabinet / This room belonged to Princess Sophia Hedwig. the lacquered decorations on the walls, in Chinese style, date back to 1665 and are among the oldest in the world.
10. Hall of Frederick IV / The table inlaid with semi-precious stones was a gift from the Grand Duke of Tuscany. the lenticular portrait represents Frederick IV and his sister.
11. Cabinet of Frederick IV / Table, mirror and guèridon are in boxwood. In these furnishings you can see the influence of the passion for Asia that characterized the time.
12. Christian VI room / The paintings above the door portray Christian VI and Queen Sofia Magdalene. The tapestries depict scenes from the story of Alexander the Great. The lathe was used by Queen Sophia Magdalene to work ivory, a very elegant pastime.
13. The rose / The objects date back to the times of Frederick V, when the fluid lines of the Roccocò style were ultra-modern. The large walnut sideboard houses a mechanical “orchestra”. Thanks to recent restoration interventions it was possible to recreate the original music.
13A. Cabinet of mirrors / Inspired by versailles, this room was decorated by Christian V in 1686. Mirrors were very expensive at the time. Frederick IV kept his collection of erotic objects in the next room.
14. Frederick V’s Cabinet / In front of the tapestries, made in Berlin, you can admire a rare amber chandelier. On the chest of drawers stands a bust of Queen Juliana Maria, in Royale Copenhagen porcelain. The bird cage with clock and music box comes from Paris.
15. Room of Christian VII / The large portrait shows the king with royal insignia and coronation robes. The two wax busts portray the crown prince and Carl, a person of the people with whom the crown prince had to play, as expected by the modern education of the time.
16. Hall of Frederick VI / The large portrait shows Frederick VI with his family. A portrait of Luisa Augusta, born from an illicit affair of Queen Carolina Matilde, also hangs on the wall.
17. Hall of Christian VIII / Christian VIII was the last absolute monarch. In the niche of the window hang images of his coronation in 1840. On the table clock we see the king, a lover of art, surrounded by papers and books.
18. Frederick VI’s Room I / The furnishings create a sense of comfort and domestic warmth. In the showcase it is possible to admire the pen with which, in 1849, the king signed the democratic constitution.
19. Corridor / Family portraits follow one another on the walls, while the two busts both depict the Crown Prince Frederick.
20. Room of the Bronzes / The 1829 gilt bronze table decorations come from Paris. Decorations of this type were very popular at the time.
We are ready for the second floor :
21. Grand Gallery / This imposing hall conveys all the pomp of absolutism. At one end are the three silver lions from 1670 that guard the thrones of the king and queen, in narwhal tooth and silver. In the center of the vaulted ceiling with stuccoes is the national heraldic coat of arms. On the walls hang 12 tapestries depicting the victories of Christian V in the war against Sweden of 1675-79.
22. Glass cabinet / This room is the only one of its kind in the world. In 1709 Frederick IV visited Venice and the city offered him an extraordinary collection of glass objects to which he could added others purchased on the way home. In 1714 the collection was arranged with the arrangement that can still be admired today.
23. Porcelain cabinet / In this room it is possible to admire porcelain from China, Japan and three of the most important porcelain factories in Europe. The Flora Danica service, on which plants are reproduced with botanical precision, was produced by Royale Copenhagen between 1790 and 1803.
24. Royal Insignia Room / From around 1680, the tower room was used as the personal treasure room of Christian V. The king kept the royal insignia, including crowns, in the cupboards here. In the adjacent Green Cabinet, the treasures were kept and are now exhibited in the basement of the castle, characterized by the vaulted ceiling.
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