The Royal Stables ( da, De Kongelige Stalde) is the mews (i.e., combined

stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

s and carriage house) of the Danish Monarchy which provides the ceremonial transport for the Danish Royal Family during state events and festive occasions. The Royal Stables are located at

Christiansborg Palace Christiansborg Palace ( da, Christiansborg Slot; ) is a palace and government building on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the seat of the Danish Parliament ('), the Danish Prime Minister's Office, and the Supreme ...

on the island of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. In 1789, the number of horses reached a peak with 270 horses stabled. Nowadays, there are about 20 horses in the Royal Stables. The Royal Stables are regularly open to the public and include a small museum. The state coaches and other carriages are kept there, along with about 20 horses.

History

Copenhagen Castle

Already in the 16th century, a large zigzag shaped stable complex was located on Slotsholmen behind the Copenhagen Castle which housed the king's horses and carriages. In 1590, a foreign traveller counted 52 horses in the stables. During the reign of the horse enthusiastic

King Christian V Christian V (15 April 1646 25 August 1699) was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 until his death in 1699. Well-regarded by the common people, he was the first king anointed at Frederiksborg Castle chapel as absolute monarch since the decree ...

at the end of the 17th century there were about 170 horses and 152 staff in the Royal Stables. There was direct access from the castle to the stables by means of a secret passage, and the king was seen there daily. After his accession to the throne in 1699, King Frederick IV carried out a large reconstruction of the stable complex, leading to a rectangular riding ground surrounded by new stables and carriage house.Gamrath, Helge: Københavns Slot. In: Hvidt et al, vol. 1, pp. 141–143. Furthermore, from 1703 to 1705 he had a new

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

building constructed adjacent to

Frederiksholms Canal Frederiksholms Kanal is a canal in central Copenhagen, Denmark, which runs along the south-west side of Slotsholmen, together with Slotholmens Kanal separating the island from Zealand. The name also applies to the continuation of Rådhusstræde w ...

to house the

Crown Equerry The Crown Equerry is the operational head of the Royal Mews of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. He is responsible for the provision of vehicular transport for the Sovereign, both cars and horse-drawn carriages. Train tr ...

and the staff at the Royal Stables. The Crown Equerry building still exists and today houses the Ministry of Education and the Ministry for Ecclesiastical Affairs.

Christiansborg Palace

Shortly after his accession to the throne in 1730, King Christian VI had the old and outdated Copenhagen Castle torn down to make way for a new

palace: the first Christiansborg Palace. The old stable complex behind Copenhagen Castle was also torn down to make way for a new and larger stable complex. During the construction work, the many horses of the Royal Stables were temporarily stabled at Frederiksberg Palace, Charlottenborg Palace and Rosenborg Castle. The new and still existing stable complex was constructed from 1738 to 1745 by the architects Elias David Häusser and Nicolai Eigtved. The new complex included an outdoor riding ground surrounded by buildings containing an indoor riding school as well as stables with room for a total of 87 riding horses and 165 carriage horses. Part of these stable buildings still remain unchanged since their inauguration in 1746 with an extravagant decoration of marble pillars. The number of horses reached a peak in 1789 when 270 horses were stabled at Christiansborg. In the course of the 20th century, the horses were gradually replaced by cars and today about 20 horses are stabled in the Royal Stables.

Carriage horses

The horses in the Royal Stables today are for the most part either Kladrubers from the Czech Republic or

Danish Warmblood The Danish Warmblood or Dansk Varmblod is a Danish breed of modern sport horse, established in the mid-twentieth century and used mainly for dressage and show-jumping. Like other European warmblood breeds, it is a performance breed: any suit ...

, though this has not always been the case. For centuries locally bred

Frederiksborg horse The Frederiksborger is Denmark's oldest horse breed. They were tremendously popular throughout the Renaissance and Baroque periods and were considered luxury items. Today, the breed is rare, but has a loyal following. Stallions and mares undergo ...

s took pride of place in the harness on major state occasions, until problems due to inbreeding led to their use being discontinued in the mid-19th century. The horses are regularly exercised on Christiansborg's riding ground and in the streets of Copenhagen.

Literature

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References

External links

> Historical Collections > Coaches and horses
official website of the Danish Monarchy.
> Castles and Gardens > Christiansborg Palace > The Royal Stables
official website of the Danish State Agency for Palaces and Cultural Properties. {{coord, 55, 40, 31.39, N, 12, 34, 41, E, type:landmark_region:DK, display=title Museums with year of establishment missing Tourist attractions in Copenhagen Museums in Copenhagen Stables Danish monarchy Slotsholmen Indre By