Frederiksborg Castle

The Largest Renaissance Castle In Scandinavia, Built For Christian IV In The Early 1600s On Islets In A Lake; Home Of The Museum Of National History, With A Baroque Garden · Hillerod, Capital Region of Denmark

Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerod is the largest Renaissance castle in Scandinavia, a red-brick and sandstone palace of copper spires and gables built for King Christian IV in the early 1600s on three small islands in a lake. It was the favourite residence of the king who built half of old Copenhagen, and for almost two centuries the absolute monarchs of Denmark were anointed in its chapel. A fire in 1859 gutted much of the interior; the brewer J.C. Jacobsen of Carlsberg then paid for the rebuilding and founded the Museum of National History inside, which it has been since the late 1800s. Today you walk through room after room of royal portraits, furniture and tapestries arranged roughly by period, from the Middle Ages to modern Denmark, and finish in the gilded chapel with its famous early 1600s organ and in the Baroque garden that climbs the slope across the lake. It is an easy half day from Copenhagen by S-train. The caveat: most of the interior is a reconstruction after the fire, and the long portrait galleries can feel like a history lesson if you are not a portrait person.

Frederiksborg Castle, on three islets in the castle lake, Hillerod, Hillerod, Capital Region of Denmark, Denmark

The castle and museum are usually open daily from spring to autumn, with shorter hours in winter - check the current schedule, as closing times shift with the season and the chapel can close at short notice for services, weddings or concerts. The Baroque garden and the lakeside paths are open long hours and are free. Hillerod is the end of an S-train line from central Copenhagen, roughly 40 minutes, or about 45-60 minutes by regional train with a change; from Hillerod station it is a 15-20 minute walk through the pedestrian street to the castle. Tickets are sold at the gate; no advance booking is normally needed except for groups and private guided tours - confirm current rules.

Frederiksborg Castle on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos