Frederiksborg Palace
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Frederiksborg Palace in Hillerød, Denmark was built as a royal residence for King Christian IV, and is now known as The Museum of National History. It is the largest Renaissance palace in Scandinavia. The palace is located on three small islands in the middle of Palace Lake, (Danish, Slotsø), and is adjoined by a large, baroque formal garden.
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[edit] Palace's history
The oldest parts of the palace date back to 1560, and were built by King Frederick II, after whom the palace is named.
Most of the current palace, however, was built from 1602 to 1620 by Christian IV using Dutch architects, Hans and Lorents van Steenwinckel, and follows the Dutch style favoured by Christian IV for his new buildings in Copenhagen.
After Christian IV's death in 1648, the palace was used mainly for ceremonial events, primarily the anointing and crowning of the Absolute Monarchs in the palace church. Since 1693 the church has also been used as Knight's Chapel for the Order of the Elephant and the Order of the Dannebrog.
The palace was also used to house the royal family's art collection; as a result, it came to be regarded as a national monument.
In 1720, the Treaty of Frederiksborg was signed here.
In 1850s, the palace was again used as a residence by King Frederick VII. During the night of December 16-17, 1859, while he was in residence, a fire destroyed a large part of the main palace's interior. Reconstruction was funded by public subscription, with large contributions from the King, state and the prominent philanthropist J. C. Jacobsen of Carlsberg Brewery, who also provided funds to establish the Museum of National History [1] that now occupies Frederiksborg. A large collection of notable paintings by the Danish painter Carl Heinrich Bloch are in the palace. Commisioned for the palace, these paintings largely depict the life of Jesus Christ.
Prince Joachim and Princess Alexandra were married in the Palace Church.
[edit] The palace today
The church, also known as the Chapel of Orders, serves as a local church today, and is a part of the museum on the premises. The coats-of-arms of recipients of the country's royal orders, the Order of the Elephant and the Order of the Dannebrog, are displayed on the walls of the church.
The museum houses the country's most important collection of portraits and history paintings.
The castle and the ground are open to the public every day.
[edit] The Countess of Frederiksborg
Prinsesse Alexandra's title Grevinde af Frederiksborg (Countess of Frederiksborg) refers to her marriage to Prince Joachim of Denmark in Frederiksborg Palace Church. This title was bestowed upon her April 16, 2005 by Queen Margrethe II eight days after the royal couple became officially divorced.
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