Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
home.)Hersonandheirtothethrone,CrownPrinceFrederik,recentlymoved
into the mansion across the street with his wife, Australian businesswoman
Mary Donaldson, and their four children.
Though the guards change with royal fanfare at noon only when the queen
is in residence, they shower every morning. The royal guard often has a police
escort when it marches through town on special occasions—leading locals to
joke that theirs is “the only army in the world that needs police protection.”
The small
Amalienborg Palace Museum
offers an intimate look at royal
The equestrian statue of Frederick V is a reminder that this square was
the centerpiece of a planned town he envisioned in 1750. It was named for
him—Frederikstaden. During the 18th century, Denmark's population grew
and the country thrived (as trade flourished and its neutrality kept it out of the
costly wars impoverishing much of Europe). Frederikstaden, with its strong
Neoclassical harmony, was designed as a luxury neighborhood for the city's
business elite. Nobility and other big shots moved in, but the king came here
only after his other palace burned down in a 1794 fire.
Just inland, the striking Frederikskirke—better known as the
Marble
Church
—was designed to fit this ritzy new quarter. If it's open, step inside
to bask in its vast, serene, Pantheon-esque atmosphere (free, Mon-Thu
10:00-17:00, Fri-Sun 12:00-17:00).
• From the square, Amaliegade leads two blocks north to...
Kastellet Park
In this park, you'll find some worthwhile sightseeing. Just before the park's
entrance, look for Denmark's fascinating (and free) WWII-era
Museum of
which illustrates the myth of the goddess who was given one night to carve a
hunk out of Sweden to make into Denmark's main island, Sjælland (or “Zeal-
and” in English), which you're on. Gefion transformed her four sons into ox-
en to do the job, and the chunk she removed from Sweden is supposedly Vän-
ern, Sweden's largest lake. If you look at a map showing Sweden and Den-
mark, the island and the lake are, in fact, roughly the same shape.
