The Danish capital is often overlooked considering the famous alternatives in neighbouring countries. Images of Paris, Berlin or Amsterdam are instantly recognisable to most, yet the same cannot be said of Copenhagen. Those cities top many must visit destination lists but if you are in the area, then you should seriously consider visiting Copenhagen. It sits in the geographical and cultural gap between Scandinavia and continental Europe, and because of this it draws influences from both sides. The city and its surrounding countryside is also home to many spectacular castles, and it was these that grabbed my attention during my time in Copenhagen.
We started off with two of the most important castles in Denmark, both of which could be easily reached as they are located in the middle of the city. First up was Rosenborg, a large renaissance style palace dating back to 1606. It is a huge grand building with green copper roofs and elaborate gables. The building really drives home the wealth and power that the European monarchy had for much of history. In fact, this is a summer house and was hardly lived in. I can only imagine what it would be like having a place like this as a secondary residence.
Today it is a popular stop as it houses the country’s crown jewels and throne and is surrounded by a large manicured garden. The presence of the jewels mean that it is also the base of the Royal Life Guards – the soldiers assigned to protect the royal family. Of course, their most important job is to protect the Queen herself who resides at our second stop – Amelienborg. Every day a new group of guards marches from Rosenborg to the Queen’s palace to relieve those who are stationed there. This changing of the guard ceremony is said to be worth watching, so we followed them across the city.
Amelienborg is a bit different to your average royal palace. Consisting of four identical palaces around the edge of a grand square, it was originally built for a group of noble families. When the main royal palace burnt down in 1794, they purchased Amelienborg and various kings have chosen different sides of the square to live in ever since. Each of the buildings resembles mini-Buckingham Palaces, but there is no fence blocking access unlike Buckingham Place in London. Tourists can wander around the square and come right up to the walls of the buildings. It’s surprising that in this day and age anyone can get this close to a monarch. That said, anyone trying to get access would have to deal with the royal guards. Accompanied by a marching band, the changing of the guard ceremony demonstrated that despite their ceremonial uniforms they are still a ferocious force.
There were several more castles and fortifications within the city which we could have visited, however to see some of the most impressive ones you need to get out into the countryside. Situated just a stone’s throw across the water from Sweden, Kronborg has long been one of Denmark’s most strategically important castles. Its position not only allowed troops stationed there to keep an eye on their neighbours, but also to block the strait and control access to and from the Baltic Sea. They used to charge all passing ships a toll, which helped fund the Danish state.
Its importance must have been recognised internationally, because Shakespeare chose Kronborg Castle as the setting for one of his most famous works – Hamlet. Although it is obviously fictional, there is something exciting about being within the same walls that the famous ‘to be or not to be’ speech was supposed to have been made. The UN have also recognised Kronborg by making it a UNESCO world heritage site. They did so for the building itself, as much as for its role in history, as it is a beautifully designed place. Internally it is palatial and comfortable, externally its star shaped walls and moat prove that it had a real military use.
Next we took a short trip inland to the city of Hillerød. Here sits Frederiksborg Palace, the largest and most beautiful of the renaissance style palaces in Scandinavia. Unlike Kronborg this was definitely not built for defensive purposes, and instead was another place for the king to retreat to if he wanted to get out of Copenhagen. Inside it is one of the most decorative buildings I have ever seen, with every inch of wall and floor covered in paintings or elaborate stucco work. It is also home to Denmark’s natural history museum and a set of vast landscaped gardens.
If Frederiksborg stood out for its ornateness, our final stop was notable for the opposite. Roskilde Cathedral is the country’s most important religious building, and although it certainly has the size to match its status, its design is remarkably austere. Its main body is made from plain red bricks and it lacks the flowery design features associated with many churches built during the same era. Somehow that doesn’t make it any less impressive however, and its two spires dominate the surrounding area. It was also our second UNESCO world heritage site of the day.
This cathedral is where the royal family have been buried since the 1400s. There is in fact, nowhere in the world with more kings and queens buried in one place. This has meant that extensions have been built over the centuries to make room for all the royal bodies, and each one is in a different architectural style. The latest addition is outside, and only dates back to 1985 when King Frederik the ninth was interned. We spent some time wandering around, appreciating the size of the space and just how many tombs there are.
We spent the rest of our time there visiting the city’s other attractions. Despite it being early spring at the time of our trip, we were lucky enough to get snow on our last two days there. This added to the atmosphere and made the city even more memorable. When our time was up we made our way to the airport, and caught a flight to our next destination – Amsterdam.
