Rosenborg Castle

Posted on by Stephen Edwards

Copenhagen, Denmark

Some of the best-preserved castles in Europe are found in Denmark, and of those, few are as well preserved as Rosenborg Castle. The castle in Copenhagen was built by the longest-reigning Danish King, Christian IV. This castle became his favorite, and it is where he died in 1648. Rosenborg might be smaller than other royal residences, but because of its links with Christian IV, it remains a major attraction in Copenhagen.

Rosenborg Castle is large for a house but rather small compared to other, much larger royal residences. However, the summer residence was the favorite of Christian IV; hence, he requested to live out his last days there.

The castle is well preserved and contains a few impressive possessions of the Danish Royal Family. The castle has the coronation thrones with three life-size silver lions standing guard. The king’s throne is made of Narwhal Tusk, while the queen’s throne is made of silver.  The castle also houses the Danish Crown Jewels, which are much more accessible than the British Crown Jewels. Finally, the castle includes many of the personal effects of Christian IV and his descendants. Throughout Christian IV’s 59-year reign, he was known as the warring king, because of his many wars, primarily with Sweden. Christian IV is the central figure in the Danish National Anthem ‘Kong Christian stod ved højen mast,’ which translates to ‘King Christian stood by the high mast.’ Christian IV was also known as the ‘Whoring King’ (although not, probably, to his face). Christian IV was the father of 20+ children from his two wives and at least three mistresses, so he had quite a few legitimate and illegitimate heirs to the throne.

The throne room is quite ornate with the excess silver and narwal tusk components.
Denmark may be a small country, but it actually has two national anthems. This one, the royal and military anthem, describes a battle with the Swedish. The anthem was adopted in 1780 and is one of the oldest national anthems in the world. The other Danish anthem is ‘Der er et yndigt land’ and translates as ‘There is a Lovely Land,’ and is used as the official national anthem. In the United States, this would be similar to the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ serving as the military anthem, with a new national anthem being a song that describes America’s beauty, such as ‘America the Beautiful’ or ‘God Bless America.’
Here is a throne fit for a king, as this was the royal loo. I prefer the modern convenience of indoor plumbing.
Part of the Danish Crown Jewels, this crown was created for Christian IV’s coronation.

Rosenborg Castle was only actively used for three generations of the Danish monarchy, including Christian IV, his son, Frederik III, and his grandson, Christian V. The castle was sparingly used by the royal family after Christian V, although it was used as an official royal residence after a fire at the Christiansborg Palace in 1794 and when the British attacked Copenhagen in 1801. Today, the castle serves as the home to the crown jewels and as a museum to the Danish royal family. Outside the castle are public gardens that are used by the citizens of Copenhagen.

Seeing the changing of the guard from inside the castle gave me a sense of what it is like to be royal. Notice the distortions as seen by the original glass in the castle.
One of the more interesting pieces of artwork in the castle is this double portrait of Frederik IV and his sister, Sophie Hedevig. Both of them grew up in Rosenborg Castle as their father was Christian V.

Rosenborg Castle is included as a stop on the Official Copenhagen Card, and is a great introduction to Christian IV and Danish history. I would recommend spending about an hour to an hour and a half at the castle. On a beautiful day, it is worthwhile to spend some time in the gardens outside.

These revolvers provided an unexpected ‘Stephen and the Presidents’ moment as newly elected President Abraham Lincoln gifted this pair to King Frederik VII. Revolvers were practically unknown in Europe in 1861.
The moat is no longer imposing; instead, it forms a water feature with the castle gardens. Rosenborg Castle is a beautiful location in Copenhagen and well worth a visit while in the city. It is possible that the castle sells out, as it is smaller and therefore serves fewer visitors per day than some other castles in Denmark. From a historical standpoint, this castle is worth a visit for anyone interested in the fascinating Danish ruler, Christian IV.

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