Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Frederiksborg Castle, rated
▲▲,
sits on an island in the middle of a lake in the
cute town of Hillerød. This grandest castle in Scandinavia is often called the
“Danish Versailles.” Built from 1602 to 1620, Frederiksborg was the castle of
Denmark's King Christian IV. Much of it was reconstructed after an 1859 fire,
with the normal Victorian over-the-top flair, by the brewer J. C. Jacobsen and
his Carlsberg Foundation.
You'll still enjoy some of the magnificent spaces of the castle's heyday: The
breathtaking grounds and courtyards, the sumptuous chapel, and the regalia-
laden Great Hall. But most of the place was turned into a fine museum in 1878.
Today it's the Museum of National History, taking you on a chronological walk
through the story of Denmark from 1500 until today (the third/top floor covers
modern times). The countless musty paintings are a fascinating scrapbook of
Danish history—it's a veritable national portrait gallery, with images of great
Danes from each historical period of the last half-millennium.
A fine path leads around the lake, with ever-changing views of the castle.
The traffic-free center of Hillerød is also worth a wander (just outside the gates
of the castle, toward train station).
