Christian IV's Palace

Before I went to Denmark I knew little about the history of this small Northern European country, but as soon as Wally and I arrived in Copenhagen, I heard about Christian IV, King of Denmark from 1603 to 1648. In his homeland, he is their most famous monarch.

Christian’s sister Anne married King James VI of Scotland. When Elizabeth I died, Anne’s husband became James I of England, uniting the two kingdoms. He authorized a new translation of the Bible – hence the “King James Bible”.

As a young man, Christian IV visited his sister Anne and her husband in England. The King and Queen entertained him at Hampton Court Palace. (Is that where to “entertain someone royally” comes from?) Christian was impressed by this magnificent English palace, with its many large, extravagantly decorated rooms. Nothing like this in Denmark, where kings still lived in that gloomy Medieval Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen. Christian went home and built Fredicksborg, the fairy tale castle where Wally and I picnicked with the swans.

Next time you are in England, go to Hampton Court. You’ll be impressed, too. Christian IV went home and tried to outdo the English in building new palaces. Billionaires now build megamansions all over the U.S., but so far nothing to equal the royal palaces in Europe.

In Copenhagen, Christian IV built Christiansborg Palace. Two hundred years later the English destroyed it, along with the rest of Copenhagen. That put a temporary strain on British-Danish relations. The Danes rebuilt Christiansborg, with those beautiful floors of hardwood from America.

Fredicksborg Castle, Christian IV’s summer palace, looks just as it did the 1600's. It is a Baroque extravaganza, only a bit smaller but equal in lavishness to Hampton Court and Versailles. As the Michelin Guide says, “Worth a Visit”. Especially on a sunny summer afternoon.

You and I may not be kings or queens, but commoners, like you and me, can tramp through their palaces and gawk at their fine rooms, even their bedrooms, any day of the week. All you need is air fare to go to Europe.