Rosenborg Castle

Rosenborg Slot

A Renaissance summer palace built by Christian IV in 1606. Its underground treasury holds Danish royal crown jewels, and outside, the King's Garden is where locals picnic.

Rosenborg Castle is a Dutch Renaissance summer palace built by Christian IV between 1606 and 1634, with red brick walls, green roofs and many spires. After the royal family moved out in 1710, it opened as a museum in 1838. It displays the living quarters of Danish kings from 1600 to 1900 in chronological order: Christian IV's study, with the bloodstained clothes he wore when wounded in a naval battle; rooms inlaid with amber and ivory; the Mirror Room; and, on the third floor, the Knights' Hall. The coronation throne is made of narwhal tusks (once mistaken for unicorn horns), flanked by three silver lions, and 17th-century Dutch tapestries hang on the walls. The underground treasury is the highlight. It contains Christian IV's crown (1596, weighing 2.9 kg, with gold, enamel and gemstones), crowns and scepters from the absolutist era, and royal jewelry sets, some of which the queen still wears on formal occasions. Adult admission is DKK 140 (free with the Copenhagen Card; a combined ticket with Amalienborg costs about DKK 190). Timed online booking is required, and slots often sell out in peak season. Outside, the King's Garden (Kongens Have), Denmark's oldest royal garden, is free to enter. In summer its lawns fill with picnicking locals, and it holds an Andersen statue and a rose garden. Every day at 11:30 the Royal Guard leaves its barracks beside the palace for Amalienborg. Getting there: 5 minutes on foot from Nørreport metro station. Notes: large bags cannot be taken inside (free luggage storage is available). Some rooms are dim and the staircases are narrow. Nearby, you can visit the Statens Museum for Kunst (SMK), Denmark's National Gallery, and the greenhouses of the botanical garden.

Rosenborg Castle

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