Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
proclaimed (most recently in 1972); the Velvet Room, where royals privately
greet VIP guests before big functions; and the grand Main Hall lined with
boldly colorful (almost gaudy) tapestries. The palace highlight is this dazzling
set of modern tapestries—Danish-designed but Gobelin-made in Paris. This
gift, given to the queen on her 60th birthday in 2000, celebrates 1,000 years
of Danish history, from the Viking age to our chaotic times...and into the fu-
ture. Borrow the laminated descriptions for blow-by-blow explanations of the
whole epic saga.
Castle Ruins:
An exhibit in the scant remains of the first fortress built
by Bishop Absalon, the 12th-century founder of Copenhagen, lies under the
palace. A long passage connects to another set of ruins, from the 14th-century
Copenhagen Castle. There's precious little to see, but it is, um, old and well-
described. A video covers more recent palace history.
Royal Stables and Carriages Museum:
This facility is still home to the
horses that pull the Queen's carriage on festive days, as well as a collection of
historic carriages.
Old Stock Exchange (Børsen)
—The eye-catching red-brick stock exchange
was inspired by the Dutch Renaissance, like much of 17th-century Copen-
hagen. Built to promote the mercantile ambitions of Denmark in the 1600s,
it was the “World Trade Center” of Scandinavia. The facade reads, “For the
profitable use of buyer and seller.” The dragon-tail spire with three crowns
represents the Danish aspiration to rule a united Scandinavia—or at least be
its commercial capital. The Børsen (which is not open to tourists) symbolic-
ally connected Christianshavn (the harbor, also inspired by the Dutch) with
the rest of the city, in an age when trade was a very big deal.
