Christiansborg Palace is the residence of all three branches of government of the Danish state. It is place of sessions to the Folketing (Parliament of Denmark), the office of the Prime Minister, and the Supreme court. Some halls of the Palace are open to the public.
Christiansborg Palace is located on the artificial island of Slotsholmen. It is on the site where founder of Copenhagen, Bishop Absalon, erected first royal castle in 1167. For several centuries, castles were destroyed by enemy armies and restored.
Under king Christian VI in the early 18th century, the construction of new Royal residence was started. The Palace was built in the Baroque style by the mid-18th century and became a Royal residence. However, 50 years later, it was destroyed by a large fire. The Royal family moved to Amalienborg Palace, which is still the Royal residence today. The Royal family uses Christiansborg only for official ceremonies.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Christiansborg Palace was rebuilt more than once. It has survived more than one devastating fire. The last version of the castle was built in the 20th century by the architect Thorvald Jogenson.
A tower rises above the Palace. Its height reaches 106 meters. This is the tallest building in Copenhagen. The spire of the tower is decorated with a weather vane of two crowns. The tower has an observation platform. You can admire beautiful view of the historical center of Copenhagen from here.
Part of the halls of The Christiansborg Palace are open to tourists. Here you can see the Throne room where the Danish kings receive foreign guests. The Library has a rich collection of books. The Knights’ Hall is the largest hall in the Christiansborg Palace. It is richly decorated, and 17 tapestries depict the most important events from the history of Denmark. There are some other interesting halls: Velvet hall, the Banquet hall, the Palace kitchen. In the basement, you can see the ruins of the first castle of Bishop Absalon.
