Amalienborg - The Royal Palace

Article By: Josie

5 years ago

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Culture-Castle Culture-Historical Building Culture-Palace Culture-Statue

Amalienborg palace has been the home of the Danish royal family since 1794. Built in 1754, it was designed as part of the Frederiksstaden area of Copenhagen, commissioned by King Frederik V. Amalienborg is actually a complex of four palaces, each one home to a different member, or members of the royal family. Queen Margrethe II, the current queen, lives in one, and a second is occupied by her son, the Crown Prince Frederik, his Australian wife Princess Mary, and their four children. The other two palaces serve as temporary residences for Prince Joachim, the queen’s younger son, and visiting heads of state. When you visit, be sure to look out for which flags are flying to find out who’s at home! One of the most striking things about Amalienborg is that unlike other royal residences such as Buckingham Palace, the complex is totally open, and there are only a few guards separating the general public from the doors of the palaces, no locked gates or high walls. This reflects the status of the Danish royal family, who are generally regarded as relatively approachable, likeable people. Some Danes can tell stories of seeing Queen Margrethe II in a local corner shop, and Prince Frederik can sometimes be spotted out for a morning run nearby the palace. Only the outside of the complex can be visited, as the palaces are all functioning homes, after all! If you can, try to get there for 12pm, when the changing of the guard takes place. As you admire the richness of the architecture, keep in mind that the most expensive thing to design and build in the complex were not the palaces themselves, but the statue of King Frederik V on horseback, which is right in the centre. The statue took 13 years to design and build - so long that King Frederik himself actually died before its completion, and never saw the final result! Images by Nils Nyvang and Bente Jønsson from Pixabay.