Eremitage Palace - Eremitageslottet og Dyrehaven - Copenhagen Tourist and Visitors

The Eremitage Palace is placed on the highest point of the Deer Park with a panoramic view to the Sound.

The Eremitage Palace
The Eremitage Palace or Eremitage Hunting Lodge – (Eremitageslottet) and The Deer Park (Jægersborg Dyrehave) are naturally connected to Danish Kings hunting fields and tradition as well as their hunting estates - which is a part of the Danish Cultural Heritage and history. The Palace is situated 16 km north of the city centre of Copenhagen.

Royal Hunting Parties and Banquets
The Eremitage Palace was built as a Hunting Lodge in 1734 for King Christian VI (1699-1746 – ruled Denmark and Norway 1730-1746) and as a setting for hosting royal banquets during hunts in the vast Deer Park that surrounds the Eremitage Palace. The palace is built in Baroque style and placed on the highest point on a hill and actually right in the centre of the Deer Park - with a splendid view over the plains of the park area and over to the waters of Oresound. The heavy decoration of the palace - consist of Greek mythological figures that are related with hunting activities and woodlands of the Deer Park.

The Eremitage Palace was a popular hunting venue for all royalties and their families - here shown printed on a copperplate from 1756.

King Christian III founded the Deer Park in 1669 to establish hunting grounds for the royal family. The park was opened to the public in 1736.

Former Military Exercise Grounds
The Eremitage Palace was never intended to be a royal residence and as from the very start the palace is only used by the royal family for hunting parties and is most of all known for the annual Hubertus hunts. During the early 19th century the surrounding areas of the Deer Park was used as military exercise grounds and mainly for luncheon by the King and his military staff. When the Danes celebrated the Constitution of Denmark from 1854 – over 50,000 people were gathered in front of the palace to welcome the new Constitutional Act from 1849. The palace is normally not open to the public – but occasionally in connection with national arrangements.

The Royal Hunting Lodge is decorated with many figures from Greek mythology related especially to hunting and woodlands.

The interior of The Eremitage Palace in created in baroque style and often used for royal hunting banquets and parties.

The Deer Park and Royal Hunting Grounds
The Deer Park at Jærgersborg was established by King Frederik III (1609-1670 – ruled Denmark and Norway 1648-1670) in 1669 - who decided to fence in the woodlands of “Boveskov” (Beech wood) and to drive all the wild deer’s from the surroundings areas into the newly created park – which he named the Deer Park. The park was mainly used as the royal hunting fields and was the King’s private deer park until he died in 1670.

From the Palace there is a splendid view over the great Eremitage Plains and over to the waters of Oresound and Sweden.

The Deer Park is a world-class attraction in vast woodland settings and broad forest paths among the many imposing century-old trees.

Opened for the Public in 1736
When King Frederik’s son – Christian V became King (1646-1699 – ruled Denmark and Norway 1670-1699) he had more ambitious plans for the Deer Park and doubled the area of the hunting fields by moving the inhabitants and peasants to other locations outside the existing Deer Park. The purpose of extending the park area was the hunting on horseback with special trained hounds – which was a very fashionable amusement for the royal nobilities. The Deer Park and Eremitage Plains was opened to the public in 1736 and has since been a very popular outing and recreation area for Copenhageners and the surrounding residents.

The Deer Park has more than 2100 herds of deer's that grass on the Eremitage Plains. The Red Deer has a flock of over 300 herds and was imported in 1737 from the Middle East.

There are almost 100 Sika Deer’s in the Deer Park and these beautiful whitish dotted animals are the smallest of all the deer’s in the park. The breed was imported from Japan in 1923.

Almost 2100 deer's in Marvelous Woodland
During the past 300 years the amount of deer’s in the Deer Park has raised to almost 2100 with a stock of 300 Red Deer – 1700 Fallow Deer and about 100 Sika Deer. In the springtime almost 700 fawns are born and to keep the flock of herds at a reasonable stage it is essential to shoot 700-800 animals during the winter season. The deer’s are fed during the winter period and the rest of the season they are fed naturally by the forage in the park and forest. The Deer Park is considered to be a world-class attraction with a rich bird life and animal sanctuary - and is also the most popular forest and park in Denmark with its seasonal shifting charm of the landscape. One can also take a ride in a horse carriage around the park and experience the marvellous woodland settings and vegetation – while moving along the broad forest paths and among the many imposing century-old trees.

One can take a ride in a horse carriage around the Deer Park and experience the wonderful spacious landscape and hundreds of old shrubs and trees.

The Deer Park is a very popular place for family gatherings and picnics - and over 2 million people visits this charming outing venue every year.

Hubertus Hunt
Every year the Eremitage Plain and Deer Park is the centre for the annual and traditional Hubertus Hunt - and since the first hunt with hounds in 1905 was accomplished - the traditional race on houses to pursue a fox – a fox's tail pinned to the shoulder the leading rider – the Hubertus Hunt has been a great attraction every first Sunday of November – where more than 100 rides in their red uniforms participate in this event and surrounded by almost 40.000-50.000 enthusiastic spectators.

The traditional Hubertus Hunt takes place every year at the Deer Park and has been a great attraction for thousands of spectators since 1905.

Since 1969 the Eremitage Run is a yearly event for runners that flower a 13.3 km route formed as a figure 8 around the Eremitage Plains.

The Eremitage Run
The Eremitage Run is a very popular yearly sports event for runners and was run for the first time in 1969. The runners run a route that is formed as a figure 8 trough the entire Eremitage Plain and the length of the track is 13.3 km. The Eremitage Run is performed every first or second Sunday in October and there is a max level for the amount of participants – which is 19,000 runners to prevent traffic jams and consideration to the animal life in the Deer Park. There are about 50,000 to 60,000 spectators watching the Eremitage Run.

Location
The Eremitage Palace and associated Deer Park is situated 16 km north of the city centre of Copenhagen - and has 5 main gates to enter the plains and hunting lodge.

Eremitage Palace and Deer Park

Address
Jægersborg Deer Park is administered by
Skov- og Naturstyrelsen - Hovedstaden
Tel. 39 97 39 00

The Eremitage Palace is closed to the public

The Deer Park is open 24 hours a day all year round

Buss no. 6 - 176 - 182 - 187 and 388

Train to Klampenborg Station