Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
wiches, 90-kr salads, 105-125-kr hot dishes, 148-kr brunch buffet Sun until
13:00, open daily 10:00-17:00, slow service, tel. 48 26 75 16).
Self-Guided Tour:
From the entrance of the castle complex, it's an ap-
propriately regal approach to the king's residence. You can almost hear the
clopping of royal hooves as you walk over the moat and through the first is-
land (which housed the stables and small businesses needed to support a royal
residence). Then walk down the winding (and therefore easy-to-defend) lane
to the second island, which was home to the domestic and foreign ministries.
Finally, cross over the last moat to the main palace, where the king lived.
Main Courtyard:
Survey the castle exterior from the Fountain of Neptune
in the main courtyard. Christian IV imported Dutch architects to create this
“Christian IV style,” which you'll see all over Copenhagen. The brickwork
and sandstone are products of the local clay and sandy soil. The building,
with its horizontal lines, triangles, and squares, is generally in Renaissance
style, but notice how this is interrupted by a few token Gothic elements on the
church's facade. Some say this homey touch was to let the villagers know the
king was “one of them.”
Go in the door in the middle of the courtyard to buy your ticket, pick up
your free audioguide, and put your bag in a locker (mandatory, 20-kr coin re-
quired and will be refunded). Be sure to pick up a free floor plan; room num-
bers will help orient you on this tour. You'll enter the Knights' Parlor, also
called The Rose, a long room decorated as it was during the palace's peak of
power. Go up the stairs on the left side of this hall to the...
Royal Chapel:
Christian IV wanted to have the grandest royal chapel in
Europe. For 200 years the coronation place of Danish kings, this chapel is
still used for royal weddings (and is extremely popular for commoner wed-
dings—booklonginadvance). The chapel isnearly all original, dating back to
1620. As you walk around the upper level, notice the graffiti scratched on the
windowpanes by the diamond rings of royal kids visiting for the summer back
in the 1600s. Most of the coats of arms show off noble lineage—with a few
exceptions we'll get to soon. At the far end of the chapel, the wooden organ is
from 1620, with its original hand-powered bellows. (If you like music, listen
for hymns on the old carillon at the top of each hour.)
