Rosenborg Castle - King Christian IV's Castle
Rosenborg Castle is King Christian IVs Castle – He built Rosenborg – He lived all his life at Rosenborg – He died at Rosenborg.

King Christian IV as a boy painted in 1585 by Hans Knieper. He officially succeeded the Danish throne in 1588, just 11 years old and later crowned in 1596 at Copenhagen's Cathedral. The King was born at Frederiksborg Castle in North Zealand and near the town of Hillerød – almost 40 km from the city centre of Copenhagen, but spent most of his childhood at the old medieval Copenhagen Castle from 1370s, where the present Christiansborg Palace is situated.

In the Thirty Years' War with Sweden, King Christian IV demonstrate a heroism that is remembered by the Danish Nation and glorified is name for ever, as he on the deck of the battleship -Trefoldighed - (Trinity) in 1644 at the Bay of Kiel was hit by splinters of wood and metal by a exploded canon that wounded him several places and blinding one eye. The King’s bloody clothing from this event is displayed at Rosenborg Castle.

King Christian IV
Beside of being the most famous King in the list of Danish Sovereigns and known by any purple and adult in the kingdom of Denmark – King Christian IV was also a very popular and enterprising Monarch, who ruled Denmark and Norway from 1588 until his death in 1648. King Christian IV was the son of King Frederik II (1553-1588 – ruled Denmark and Norway 1559-1588) and was born at Frederiksborg Castle in North Zealand in 1577. He succeeded to the throne in 1588 only 11 years old and was later crowned at the age of 19 at Copenhagen Cathedral in 1596. The King resided at the old medieval and cramped Copenhagen Castle - and at Frederiksborg Castle – nearly 40 km from Copenhagen.

A Royal ceremony in 1660 was held outside of the square of ancient Copenhagen Castle, on the right of the painting by Heinrich Hansen, to acclaim King Frederik III as the heir to the throne. King Christian IV lived here until he moved out to his is little summer residence – Rosenborg. In the middle of the painting is the Old Stock Exchange from 1620, and on the left the naval church “Holmens Kirke” inaugurated in 1619. Both properties were built by King Christian IV.

King Christian IV’s birthplace Frederiksborg Castle was rebuilt by the King at the beginning of the 17th century and was used as a Royal residence until the Royal Family moved into Rosenborg Castle around 1610. In 1850s the Castle was again used by King Frederik VII as a Royal residence and in 1859, while he was in residence - a heavy fire destroyed almost all of the Castles interior and other valuable artefacts. Today – the Castle houses the Museum of National History.

King Christian IV and Rosenborg Castle
As a young Monarch King Christian IV had many building projects on the planning stage and one of his first achievements was to establish a new park area in Renaissance Style outside of Copenhagen in the beginning of 1600s called Kongens Have “The Kings Garden”. At that time the King and his family resided in the city at the old outdated Copenhagen Castle from about 1370, which was patched together and rebuilt several times by many sovereigns. As King Christian IVs preferred residence Frederiksborg Castle was situated 40 km away from Copenhagen, he decided to build a summer residence closer to the city – and place the Royal estate in the newly developed “Kings Garden”, and named it Rosenborg Castle.

King Chriatian IV on horseback in 1638 outside the ramparts of Copenhagen overlooking his beloved Rosenborg Castle, which was completed a few years earlier in 1634.

Rosenborg Castle in 1749 with the huge park in Renaissance style called the "Kings Garden", and the kitchens garden as well as the orangery on the left of the painting.

Rosenborg Castle 1606-1634
In 1606 the actual landscaping of the park area called "The Kings Garden" (Kongens Have) began and at the same time building construction of Rosenborg Castle started and later developed in stages over a period of almost 22 years. The first building was a two storey mansion in Dutch Renaissance style with one tower on the west side - and in 1611 an extra gate tower and drawbridge was built. Extension of the Castle took place between 1613 to 1615, which turned it into twice the length and size, and later between 1616 and 1624 the Long Hall (The Knights' Hall) was added as a extra story to the Royal property together with the Great Tower on the west side of the Castle and the former two eaves chambers were converted into the existing spire-crowned towers on the east side – which changed the little summer residence from 1606 into a fashionable and comfortable residence for the Royal Family and Household. The Castle still needed a presentable entrance, which was built when King Christian IV was to host the extravagant wedding of his son the Prince Elect Frederik (III) and Princess Magdalena Sibylla in 1634.

The present Rosenborg Castle with its beautiful rose garden park. The two spire-crowned towers on the east side was reconstructed in 1616 and the main entrance in the middle was built in 1634.

Rosenborg Castle seen from the west side with the Great Tower from 1616. The moat around the Castle premises is the remains of the old rampart and city moat that surrounded Copenhagen.

King Christian IV on his deathbed at Rosenborg Castle on the 28th of February 1648. His favorite daughter Leonora Christine closed his eyes, when he dies peacefully in the afternoon without any pain in his beloved Castle. The Prince Elect Frederik (III) succeeded the throne after his father and lived at Rosenborg until his death in 1670.

King Christian IV is buried in Roskilde Cathedral together with is wife Queen Anna Cathrine of Brandenburg and both Sarcophaguses are places in King Christian IV's Chapel together with other Monarchs from the Oldenborg dynasty. The bronze statue of King Christian IV is made by famous Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen.

Interior in King Christian VI's room at Rosenborg Castle with tapestries displaying the life of Alexander the Great. The room was the former bedroom of Princess Sophie Hedevig, who was the sister to King Frederik IV. Many of the rooms at Rosenborg are equipped with the original furniture.

The thrones of the Danish Kings and Queens were used from 1671 to 1840, when the last Danish Monarch was anointed and crowned as King. The Kings throne is made of pure narwhal tusk in 1662 and both thrones are placed in the Great Hall with the symbolic silver lions in front.

Royal Residence again in 1794 and 1801
After 1710 Rosenborg Castle was used twice as Royal residences in a very short period. In 1794 when the second Christiansborg Palace was raised by fires and the reigning King Christian VII and family became homeless the Rosenborg property was taken in to use and in 1801, when the British army attacked the city during the naval Battle of Copenhagen.

Many types of special exhibitions are on display at Rosenborg Castle such as decorative art, furniture and fashion garments as well as personal belongings to Royal members of the Oldenborg line. The Rosenborg museum has an extra large collection of objects and artefact that particularly is taken into use for extraordinary presentations at the Castle.

The Crown of King Christian IV was specially designed and made for his crowning in 1596 by the Royal Goldsmith Dirich Fyring from Odense, and is one of the most precious artefacts among the Crown Jewels in the Treasury section beneath Rosenborg Castle. The Crown in solid gold is equipped with enamel, pearls as well as table cut stones and weighs almost 3 kg.

Museum - Crown Jewels - Kings Garden
In 1838 Rosenborg Castle was opened as a museum to the public with the Royal Crown Jewel and the Danish Crown Regalia kept safely in the castle cellars. The castle museum enlightens the history of the Danish Oldenburg Kings through 300 years, from King Frederik II in the late 16th century to King Frederik VII in the 19th century. After the abolishment of Absolutism in 1849, the Royal castles and palaces became state property. In 1854 the last Oldenburg King Frederik VII agreed with the state that the collection was to become entailed property passed on from King to King. The Kings Garden (Kongens Have) was open to the public in the beginning of the 1700s, and has since been a very popular retreat as well as a great picnic area for Copenhageners in the centre of city. The entire historical venue at Rosenborg draws nearly 3.0 million visitors every year.

The Royal Life Guards marching from the drill grounds of Rosenborg Castle to Amalienborg Palace for the ceremonial changing of the guards. The drill and exercise grounds at Rosenborg were established in 1730 by King Frederik IV.

The main duty of the Royal Life Guards is to protect the Royal Family wherever they are in residence in Denmark. The Royal Guard Regiment was founded in 1658 by King Frederik III, and has a permanent Guard unit at Amalienborg Palace.

The Royal Guards at Rosenborg
Beside of protecting the Crown Jewels at Rosenborg Castle the Royal Guard founded in 1658 by King Christian IV’s son King Frederik III (1609-1670 – ruled Denmark and Norway 1648-1670) – the Royal Guards also protects the Royal Family wherever they reside in Denmark. Just next to Rosenborg Castle is the barrack and drill ground of the Royal Guards, which was established around 1730 during the reign of King Frederik IV (1671-1730 – ruled Denmark and Norway 1699-1730). Visitors can follow the Royal Guards marching from Rosenborg Castle at 11:30 am to the present Royal residence Amalienborg Palace, when the Guards exercise the ceremonial changing of the guards at 12:00.

King Christian IVs buildings

Holmens Naval Church - 1619

Old Stock Exchange - 1620

The Old Citadel - 1625

The Round Tower - 1642