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I move some American stereotypes with flying purple, white, and blue colours; one is that I’m unfamiliar with a lot to do about European historical past outdoors of the World Wars. I don’t assume I actually knew earlier than coming to Copenhagen that Denmark has an extended legacy of being an absolute monarchy, though the nation is a constitutional monarchy in the present day and has been since 1848. As an absolute monarch, the reigning king or queen on the time possessed absolute energy and wouldn’t be restricted in that by any means. This precedent sounds emphatically dissonant in comparison with present syntheses folks have fabricated from Danish tradition in addition to city design practices I’ve been uncovered to throughout my time right here, like listening to crickets and the waking melodies of birds on the similar anonymous time of day.
Over the weekend, I made a decision to take a day journey to go to the biggest Renaissance constructing in Scandinavia: the Frederiksborg Slot! This well-known citadel was constructed within the seventeenth century for King Christian IV of Denmark and in the present day — at the side of the Museum of Nationwide Historical past —homes the preservation of over 500 years of royal portraits, furnishings, and interiors. I took a 45-minute practice out of Copenhagen to Hillerød, a quaint city positioned in Northern Denmark. The grounds are located on three islets on Fort Lake, which is an roughly 20-minute stroll from the station. I took a route that adopted the water’s edge and handed residents strolling their canine, kids feeding the geese, and other people having fun with their lunches at a collection of café and restaurant patios overlooking the constructing. Nearer to the citadel gate, a reside band was taking part in a music I can solely describe as Frank Sinatra-adjacent. The graceful brass tones of the devices and the singer’s crooner voice echoed barely off close by partitions, as if the group have been taking part in for an viewers in an impossibly high-ceilinged room. It appeared every part was usual to be bigger than life right here.
Frederiksborg is richly adorned with components that give the citadel its decorative aesthetic. A lot of the ornament is within the dramatic baroque type, characterised by tapestries, sculpted paneling, painted ceilings, chandeliers, and gilded furnishings and mirrors. Baroque artwork and structure additionally usually carries symbolic which means that goes past its shiny superficial attraction.
On the stroll by means of the inside courtyard as much as the doorway, you might be greeted with the Neptune Fountain, a water function depicting the Roman god of the ocean, his hand outstretched. Deities of rivers and is derived, water nymphs, mermen blowing conch shells, and different such references to Greek and Roman mythology stand surrounding the bronze determine that stood tall on the peak. The monument intends to reveal King Christian IV’s command over Scandinavian waters and the drive of the Danish navy. Within the viewers chamber — one of many rooms spared within the fireplace that destroyed a lot of the slot, though it was faithfully recreated within the following years — work on the partitions and ceiling occupy any area left by the home windows, with just a few desk and chair units filling within the ground space. The topics of this artwork are primarily King Christian V and his ancestors — for instance, one portrait depicts him dressed as a Roman emperor together with his three younger sons — in addition to incidences of the monarchy’s success in battle. Moreover, there are 4 work of feminine presenting figures in every nook of the room that symbolize the 4 corners of the world that Denmark’s empire at one level spanned: Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas.
The connected chapel stands out as the densest when it comes to layered gold decor in addition to inherent symbolism due since within the seventeenth century, the pursuits of the church and the crown have been tied to 1 one other with iron hyperlinks. On the self-guided audio tour I adopted, I discovered of a specific king in Denmark’s historical past that dedicated adultery whereas married to his chosen queen. Customary remedy in response to this sin was punishment by demise, however the absolute monarch was absolved from even essentially the most stringent legal guidelines. The king, subsequently, confronted no penalties. As I discussed earlier, it’s tough to resolve this previous in addition to the wars Denmark started to be able to colonize the world with my view of the nation in the present day. In 1849, the Danish Structure was established, introducing democratic ideas reminiscent of freedom of speech and freedom of meeting to society. Parliament and different committees got legislative energy and the duties of monarchs have been rendered ceremonial in nature.
Having the ability to stroll by means of the expanse of rooms with different vacationers and watch residents go on their afternoon run alongside the strains of backyard parterres felt like a tangible realization of this land lastly being gifted to the general public. Royal or not, I can’t conceive of any single household dwelling in a residence so grand, however as a museum and park, Frederiksborg doesn’t really feel too huge for lengthy. It matches anybody who makes the journey.
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