The first Christiansborg Palace in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, was built on

Slotsholmen Slotsholmen (English: The Castle Islet) is an island in the harbour of Copenhagen, Denmark, and part of Copenhagen Inner City. The name is taken from the successive castles and palaces located on the island since Bishop Absalon constructed the c ...

in 1745 as a new main residence for King

Christian VI of Denmark Christian VI (30 November 1699 – 6 August 1746) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1730 to 1746. The eldest surviving son of Frederick IV and Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, he is considered one of Denmark-Norway's more anonymous kings, bu ...

. It was built on the same site as its predecessor,

Copenhagen Castle Copenhagen Castle ( da, Københavns Slot) was a castle on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It was built in the late 14th century and was located at the site of the current Christiansborg Palace. History In 1167, Bisho ...

, which had assumed a monstrous appearance and started to crumble under its own weight after several extensions. The palace existed for just under half a century since it was almost completely destroyed by a fire in 1794. The surviving parts, which included the show grounds, the court theatre and the Marble Bridge with its two pavilions, were incorporated into the second Christiansborg Palace which succeeded it. These parts also survived the fire of 1884 which destroyed the second palace and are now part of the present day

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 ...

which houses both the

Danish Parliament The Folketing ( da, Folketinget, ; ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark—Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands an ...

, Supreme Court and Prime Minister's Office.

History

Construction of the new palace

Demolition of the overextended and antiquated

began in 1731 to make room for the new palace which was named Christiansborg after its founder. The king commissioned architect

Elias David Häusser Elias David Häusser (25 June 1687 – 16 March 1745) was a German-Danish architect working in the Baroque and Rococo styles. He is most known for designing the first Christiansborg Palace which was almost completely destroyed in a fire in 1794. ...

to build the new palace. Construction of the magnificent new palace began in 1733. From 1736 the younger architects

Lauritz de Thurah Laurids Lauridsen de Thurah, known as Lauritz de Thurah (4 March 1706 – 5 September 1759), was a Danish architect and architectural writer. He became the most important Danish architect of the late baroque period. As an architectural writer ...

and

Nicolai Eigtved Nicolai Eigtved, also known as Niels Eigtved (4 June 1701 – 7 June 1754) was a Danish architect. He introduced and was the leading proponent of the French rococo or late baroque style in Danish architecture during the 1730s–1740s. He design ...

were put in charge of designing the interior. In 1738 a palace commission was set up to supervise the construction. Work only progressed slowly due to lack of funds and on several occasions threatened to come to a complete standstill. However, by 1740 the main wing was partially ready for use and Christian VI took up residence at a grandiose ceremony on 26 November 1740. When Häusser retired from the project in 1742, Eigtved was charged with completing the palace. This happened in 1745. The palace commission was dissolved on 22 February 1745. The total costs of the new palace were 2.7 million Rigsdaler, the equivalent to half of the state's annual income.

The fire of 1794

On 26 February 1794, Christiansborg Palace was devastated by a fire. It began in an overheated stove close to the Grand Hall.

Architecture and artworks

Overall layout

The palace complex, which was in

Rococo style Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

, consisted of a four-winged main building connected to various other buildings, including a court theatre and stables, arranged around large show grounds. There was also an attached chapel located at the site of the present-day Christiansborg Chapel. It was the largest palace in Europe for a short while, until the fire destroyed it. The main approach to the palace was across the still existing Marble Bridge, today located on the rear side of present-day Christiansborg, and the show grounds.

Main building

The main building stood 36 metres high with a copper-clad roof and an 84 metre high steepled tower located above the main entrance facing the show grounds. The façade was covered in sandstone and lavishly decorated with vases, reliefs, sculptures and ornamental details on cornices and window frames. The interior was also in Rococo style and lavishly decorated. Work on producing artworks and decorations for the palace continued throughout the reign of

Frederick V Frederick V or Friedrich V may refer to: * Frederick V, Duke of Swabia (1164–1170) *Frederick V, Count of Zollern (d.1289) *Frederick V, Burgrave of Nuremberg (c. 1333–1398), German noble *Frederick V of Austria (1415–1493), or Frederick III ...

, and the Grand Hall, which was designed by

Nicolas-Henri Jardin Nicolas-Henri Jardin (22 March 1720 – 31 August 1799) was a French architect. Born in St. Germain des Noyers, Seine-et-Marne, Jardin worked seventeen years in Denmark–Norway as an architect to the Danish royal court. He introduced neoclassic ...

, was not inaugurated until 10 November 1766 by

Christian VII Christian VII (29 January 1749 – 13 March 1808) was a monarch of the House of Oldenburg who was King of Denmark–Norway and Duke of Duchy of Schleswig, Schleswig and Duchy of Holstein, Holstein from 1766 until his death in 1808. For his motto ...

. Among the artists who had their breakthrough with their contributions to the palace are the painters Nikolaj Abildgaard and

Hendrick Krock Hendrick Krock (21 July 1671 – 18 November 1738) was a Danish history painter who, from 1706, was the court painter of Frederick IV as well as his successor Christian VI. Along with Benoit Le Coffre set the tone for history painting in Denmark ...

and the sculptors

Johannes Wiedewelt Johannes Wiedewelt (1 July 1731 – 17 December 1802), Danish neoclassical sculptor. He became a court sculptor, introducing neoclassical ideals to Denmark in the form of palace decorations, garden sculptures and artifacts and, especially, mem ...

, Simon Stanley and Johan Mandelberg.

Other buildings

References

{{coord, 55.6763, 12.5806, type:landmark_region:DK, display=title Palaces in Copenhagen Royal residences in Denmark Official residences in Denmark Baroque architecture in Copenhagen Houses completed in 1745 Former buildings and structures in Copenhagen 1745 establishments in Denmark