Address: Denmark, Hillerød
Start of construction: 1602 year
Completion of construction: 1620 year
Project: Lawrence and Hans van Steenwinkeli
Coordinates: 55 ° 56'06.6 "N 12 ° 18'05.2" E
Content:
Short description
In the city of Hillerod, which is located not far from the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen, there is a beautiful, unique, one might even say, amazing castle. Although, it would be more correct to say, the palace. Its name is Frederiksborg.
A bird's eye view of the castle
It is worth noting that the first castle was called differently - Hellerodsholm, in honor of the city in which it was built. However, this architectural structure, dating back to 1560, has not survived to this day. It was in its place that the palace was built, which at the moment arouses genuine interest among all connoisseurs of the beautiful world.
Naturally, during the construction of Frederiksborg, part of the Hellerodsholm castle was restored, and many of its elements were used in the new building, but this refers to history, which undoubtedly deserves special attention.
View of the castle from Lake Slotssen
Denmark has always been considered an amazing and fabulous country. On its territory there are quite a few attractions, historical and architectural monuments, which are of interest not only to tourists from Europe, but also from the whole world. A traveler who has been led to Denmark, on the outskirts of the capital of this country, should know that Frederiksborg Castle is part of the palace and park complex. The point is that there are two more castles near the palace: Fredensborg, which was the royal residence and the Helsingor castle, yes, the same famous one, which can also be called "Hamlet's"... All three architectural structures are located on small islands of a picturesque lake. Surrounding them, of course, is a beautiful park, in which in ancient times the crowned persons loved to walk.
Two castles and a luxurious palace, if desired, can be bypassed in a whole day, however, only if you do not pay attention to the smallest details: expensive sets, beautiful furniture and paintings. Simply put, in a day you can only go around all the premises of three castles. Many guides advise not to rush and stop in the tiny town of Hellerød: despite its size, it also deserves attention, which is only a small shopping center of the city, which in 1993 was recognized by a special commission as the most beautiful shopping center in the Old World.
Frederiksborg - history
As mentioned above, Frederiksborg Castle dates back to 1560... It was then that King Frederick II bought the land, on which the palace was subsequently erected. True, the castle acquired the form in which it has survived to this day after restoration work in 1859.
To be precise, Frederiksborg Castle was built in eighteen years (from 1602 to 1620). The project of the palace was developed by two brothers Lawrence and Hans van Steenwinkel, who at that time were talented and well-known architects in Europe.
Fountain Neptune
The construction of Frederiksborg Castle was led by Christian IV, who went down in history with his luxurious restructuring of buildings in Copenhagen, called the Dutch Renaissance. Frederiksborg Castle was built in the same style. In 1648, the king, who immensely loved his creation Frederiksborg, which he named after his father, departed to another world. From that moment until 1693, coronations of monarchs were constantly held in the castle. Since 1693, the knightly orders of the Dannebrog and the Elephant held their meetings in the chapel of the castle. One more important date can be named, which is associated with the magnificent palace: in 1720, the famous Frederiksborg Treaty was signed within its walls. During the reign of Frederick VII, on December 17, 1859, there was a severe fire in the palace. During it, many rooms of the castle burned down to the ground.
The floors damaged by the fire could not stand it: the roof and the magnificent spiers of the magnificent towers collapsed. In all fairness, it should be noted that the fire did not affect the chapel, the meeting room and the reception hall. In 1860, a decision was made to restore one of the main attractions of Denmark.
Funds are allocated for the work from the country's budget, but most of the costs are borne by the brewer Jacobsen, the same one who founded the famous and one of the most popular and in our time brands of beer "Carlsberg".
View of the palace from the park
Frederiksborg Palace in our time
The main wing of the Frederiksborg Palace deserves special attention, which is decorated with luxurious marble arches and sculptures made by the best craftsmen of the time. It is fair to say that some of the statues are not original. The fact is that a fire that occurred in 1859 caused irreparable damage to the main wing, which is listed as the "Royal Wing" in tourist brochures. You can feel all the luxury of the Renaissance style in the church, which the fire has bypassed. It keeps within its walls real works of art and priceless treasures, which include the main altar, made of pure gold by a jeweler, trimmed with expensive ebony and, shimmering in the light of candles, silver appliqués. The name of the jeweler, who created the unique altar of the church of the Frederiksborg Palace, has survived to this day. His name was Jacob Moras.
Big hall
Since the reign of Christian IV, organs have survived and even function in the temple. By the way, if you visit the castle, which currently houses the Museum of National History, on Thursday, you can listen to a classical music concert in the church building for free. The works of J. Bach, J. Haydn, L. Beethoven sound from organ trumpets performed by the best musicians of Europe. Talking about Frederiksborg Castle, it is impossible not to remember the Neptune Fountain, which opens to the eyes of tourists in the outer courtyard of the palace.
Palace chapel
Many may think that this fountain is a kind of decoration of the palace and park complex, but this is far from the case. The Fountain of Neptune in Frederiksborg is a symbol, a symbol of a country that had almost unlimited power in the Baltic Sea in the 16th century. Alas, the luxurious fountain is not original either. It, of course, was not damaged during the fire, but was stolen by the Swedes who captured the castle in 1660. An exact copy of the Danish symbol was erected by the Dutch architect Adrian de Vries.
Royal bedroom
Frederiksborg castle - tourist guide
From the Danish capital Copenhagen to the town of Hellerød can be reached by high-speed commuter train. These trains leave the line under the letters "A" and "E". The journey will take no more than 30 minutes. You can take a ten-minute walk from the station to the castle. If you have to save time, you can take bus number 702, which will take the passenger directly to one of the main attractions in Denmark.
The premises of the Museum of National History in the palace
Frederiksborg Castle operates during the "season", which lasts from April to October, from 10 am to 5 pm... In the winter months, the palace and park complex accepts visitors only from 11.00 to 15.00. The ticket price is symbolic - 60 kroons. This amount includes a visit not only to Frederiksborg, but also a walk in the park, a visit to the "Hamlet" castle and the Fredensborg palace. By the way, the park of the Frederiksborg Palace is a unique and unforgettable sight. It was laid out in the Baroque style from 1720 to 1725.
The premises of the Museum of National History in the palace
A walk along it will surely be remembered by a traveler for a lifetime: a cascade with fountains, water canals, monograms of the royal family consisting of flowering bushes and, of course, the magnificent Castle Lake - are an integral part of the entire architectural ensemble. The opportunity to wander through its alleys appeared only in 1996. Until 1993, the baroque garden that Johan Cornelius Krieger brought to life was in decline: the Danish budget was not able to sustain the maintenance of the castle and its huge park.
The premises of the Museum of National History in the palace
At the end of this material, I would like to add that a tourist who has visited the palace should definitely pay attention to a small house, more correctly, a hunting castle, which was built in the time of Frederick II.
