Royal Palace

The Marble Church and the Royal Palace

I admit it – I am totally in love with this Church! It is generally referred to as the Marble Church, but its real name is Frederiks Kirke or the Church of Frederik.

The church was designed by the architect Nicolai Eigtved in 1740 has the largest church dome in Scandinavia with a span of 31m. The dome rests on 12 columns.The inspiration was probably St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

The foundation stone was set by king Frederick V on October 31, 1749, but the construction was slowed by budget cuts and the death of Eigtved in 1754. In 1770, the original plans for the church were abandoned by Johann Friedrich Struensee (Interesting tidbit for those who enjoyed Mads Mikkelsen in “A Royal Affair”). The church was left incomplete and, in spite of several initiatives to complete it, stood as a ruin for nearly 150 years.

In 1874, Andreas Frederik Krieger, Denmark’s Finance Minister at the time, sold the ruins of the uncompleted church and the church square to Carl Frederik Tietgen for 100,000 Rigsdaler — none of which was to be paid in cash — on the condition that Tietgen would build a church in a style similar to the original plans and donate it to the state when complete, while in turn he acquired the rights to subdivide neighboring plots for development.

The deal was at the time highly controversial. On 25 January 1877, a case was brought by the Folketing at the Court of Impeachment, Krieger being charged with corruption over this deal. He was, however, eventually acquitted.

Tietgen got Ferdinand Meldahl to design the church in its final form and financed its construction. Due to financial restrictions, the original plans for the church to be built almost entirely from marble were discarded, and instead Meldahl opted for construction to be done with limestone. The church was finally opened to the public on August 19, 1894.

Right next to the Church is Amalienborg, home to the Royal Family and the Royal Guards who march through town every day at noon.

The adorable Spring/Fall Residence of the Royal Family and occasional hotel to VIPs (I hear George W spent a night there!)

“Fredensborg Palace was built as a hunting seat for King Frederik IV by the architect J.C. Krieger. Construction began in 1719. The main building was first used in 1722 and the chapel in 1726.

It was rebuilt and expanded during the reigns of King Christian VI and of King Frederik V and his Queen, Juliane Marie, by the architects N.Eigtved, L. de Thurah and C.F. Harsdorff.

After Queen Juliane Marie’s death in 1796, the palace was rarely used. It was not until the reign of King Christian IX and Queen Louise that the palace again became the setting for the Royal Family’s life for lengthy periods. “Europe’s parents-in-law” gathered their daughters and sons-in-law, all of whom represented many of Europe’s royal and princely houses, at Fredensborg Palace every summer.

Now HM The Queen uses the palace for three months in the spring and three in the autumn”.

The visit did not start so well, as I had managed to forget the battery of my Sony and could only use my Canon with its Paparazzi lens which meant having to get creative and concentrate on the details rather than the amazing surroundings. I am now aching to go back towards the end of the day with a tripod and some filters! This zen gem definitely deserves some more time!