Fredriksborg Castle

Moated Castle and National History Museum
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Frederiksborg Castle (Frederiksborg Slot) is located about 30 km north of Copenhagen city centre in the town of Hillerød. The impressive moated castle is considered the largest and most important Renaissance building in Northern Europe. Since 1878, it has housed the National History Museum in about 60 rooms.

The history of Frederiksborg Castle

The castle was first mentioned in documents as an estate as early as 1275. Then, in the middle of the 16th century, the Danish King Frederik II (Frederik) acquired the manor house together with the surrounding lands and developed it into his hunting seat. His son and successor, Christian IV, is known to have been a very building-minded ruler, who had come into wealth through the Sund duties. He had the castle in its present form built by the master builder Hans van Steenwinkel on three small islands on the western edge of the lake.

A great fire destroyed much of the interior in the main building in 1859. After restoration, it became home to the National History Museum. The church of Frederiksborg Castle is still the venue for the coronation ceremony with the anointing of the Danish kings and also the royal weddings are usually still held here.

The architecture of the castle

The impressive brick building is horseshoe-shaped and is protected by the so-called outer castle on the city side. Behind it, on the middle of the three islands, lies the outer castle courtyard with the imposing Neptune Fountain in front of the castle proper, whose walls stand directly in the lake water.

The castle chapel in the north-western wing can be seen from far away through the highest tower of the complex. Inside there are three organs, the oldest of which dates back to 1610. Concerts are held on it every week, which are extremely popular with music lovers. The Renaissance architecture of the castle, with its striking patinated green copper roofs, is unmistakable due to the numerous decorations with figures, cornices and gables.

The National History Museum at Frederiksborg Castle

During a tour of the museum, visitors embark on a journey through 500 years of Danish history. Exhibits include paintings, furnishings and artifacts from a variety of stylistic periods. Highlights include the magnificent Knight's Hall with its imposing ceiling, tapestries and royal portraits, and the recently renovated Audience Hall.

In this baroque room, the absolute rulers received their subjects from 1680 onwards and paid homage. For art lovers, the castle's extensive portrait gallery is also a must-see, with more than 10,000 portraits of kings, queens and others.

The museum is also great for families, as there is a separate section for children in the former wine cellar, where they can, for example, try on old Renaissance costumes, learn how to write with pen and ink and learn a lot about the history of Denmark through play.

Castle park with baroque garden and café

Frederiksborg Castle is surrounded by an extensive landscape garden with beautiful orchards, flower meadows and small woods. An extensive network of paths criss-crosses the grounds, offering wonderful views of the castle, the surrounding area and the small royal bathhouse (Badstueslot).

Embedded in the impressive park landscape is the beautiful Baroque garden, which was laid out at the beginning of the 18th century by the royal architect Johan Cornelius Krieger (1683 - 1755) directly behind the lake on the north façade of the castle, a garden in the Baroque style of the time. The original garden, however, only existed for about 40 years; the palace garden in its present form was created between 1993 and 1996 as a reconstruction based on original drawings.
The beautiful baroque garden of Frederiksborg Castle can be visited daily from 10 am until sunset (at the latest until 9 pm). Dogs must be kept on a leash.

This gem of garden art is reminiscent of the time of absolutism due to the historical design with flowers, water cascades and the partly steep lawn slopes. Typical elements of baroque gardens are the ornamental box hedges, which here show, among other things, the royal monogram. The castle park can be visited daily and during the summer months a small café invites you to stop for a break. A special pleasure for young and old during the warm season is a boat trip on the lake.

Tickets and prices

  • Adults 75 DKK
  • Children (6-15) free of charge
  • Students / pensioners 60 DKK
  • Copenhagen Card free of charge