Danish Luxury

Museums Royal castles

Christiansborg Palace

The palace on Slotsholmen in Copenhagen that holds the Danish parliament, the Prime Minister's Office and the Supreme Court, with the King's reception rooms.

Founded
1928
Company
The Royal Danish Collection
Address
Copenhagen

Visit denkongeligesamling.dk

Christiansborg and its tower seen through the gates of the riding ground
Christiansborg and its tower seen through the gates of the riding ground
A round hall in the Royal Reception Rooms
A round hall in the Royal Reception Rooms

Pictures © The Royal Danish Collection, from denkongeligesamling.dk.

Why it is renowned

Christiansborg is the only building in the world that houses all three branches of a country's government.1 Danes call it Borgen, the castle, and the palace gave its name to the political drama Borgen, which won a Peabody Award and was watched in Britain, Australia and the United States.2 The King holds audiences and receives foreign heads of state in its Royal Reception Rooms.3

The story

Bishop Absalon built a fortress on the islet of Slotsholmen in 1167; the Hanseatic League tore it down in 1369, and Copenhagen Castle rose on the ruins.31 Christian VI replaced it with the first Christiansborg, begun in 1733 by Elias David Häusser, which burned in 1794; C. F. Hansen's second palace, finished in 1828, burned in 1884.13 The present palace, designed by Thorvald Jørgensen in neo-baroque style, was built from 1907 to 1928, and its 106-metre tower is the tallest in the city.1 The Great Hall is hung with 17 tapestries by Bjørn Nørgaard that tell 1,000 years of Danish history, a gift to Queen Margrethe II.13 The ruins of the earlier castles can be seen beneath the palace.3

What to know it by

  • The Queen's tapestriesBjørn Nørgaard17 tapestries of Danish history in the Great Hall
  • The Throne RoomFrederik X was proclaimed king from its balcony in 2024
  • The ruins beneath the palace1167Remains of Absalon's fortress and Copenhagen Castle
  • The Tower106 metres, with a public viewing platform since 2014
Sources
  1. Christiansborg Palace, Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org, read 28 September 2026.
  2. Borgen (TV series), Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org, read 28 September 2026.
  3. Christiansborg Palace | The Royal Danish Collection. denkongeligesamling.dk, read 28 September 2026.

Last checked 28 September 2026, against the maker's own pages.