Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
is the Great Hall, a vast ballroom complete with minstrels' gallery, fine tapestries and
vivid ceiling carvings.
The rest of the 1st and 2nd floors contain the Museum of National History, a chronolo-
gically arranged portrait gallery of kings, noblemen and olden-day celebrities, interspersed
with unusual pieces of furniture. It's a lot to digest in one go - you might be better off con-
centrating on the time periods that interest you. On the 3rd floor is the Moderne Samling
(Modern Collection)
, a collection of 20th- and 21st-century paintings and photography.
Both Frederik II and Christian IV used Frederiksborg as their royal seat, but after Hiller-
ød suffered plague, fire and rampaging Swedes during the 17th century, the throne moved
to quieter Fredensborg in the 18th century.
Slotshaven
The castle gardens lie to the north. The formal baroque garden (open from 10am till
sunset), visible from the castle windows and made up of perfect terraces and immaculately
manicured yew and box, demonstrates that even nature must bend to a king's will. There's
also a Romantic garden, Indelukket, where 18th-century rigidity melts into a wilder 19th-
century notion of gardening. North again is the oak wood of Lille Dyrehave, which was
planted to provide material for boat-building after the Danish fleet was confiscated by
England in 1807. You could easily spend a pleasant hour's outing strolling through the
three sections.
The Slotsø Ferry
From mid-May to mid-September, the little
Frederiksborg ferry
(adult/child Dkr30/10)
makes a 30-minute round-trip of the castle lake between 11am and 5pm Monday to
Saturday, and between 1pm and 5pm on Sunday. It stops at three small piers: one on the
edge of Torvet, one near the castle entrance and one by the baroque gardens.
