Amalienborg
The palace square is adorned with the equestrian statue of Frederik V by French sculptor J. F. Saly. Frederik V never saw the finished statue, which was not unveiled until 1771, five years after the King’s death.
For approximately 40 years, the palaces housed aristocratic families and government offices. When Christiansborg Palace was destroyed by fire in 1794, the Royal Family relocated to three of the buildings. Christian VII assumed control of Moltke’s Palace, which was renamed Christian VII’s Palace. After Christian VII's death in 1808 and until 1885, the building primarily served as government offices. Since then, it has functioned as both a guest residence and an official royal residence, with a few brief exceptions, notably from 1971 to 1974, when some of the palace's rooms were used to accommodate a royal kindergarten.
The use of Amalienborg as a royal residence was initially intended as a temporary solution until the new Christiansborg Palace was completed. However, when it was finished in 1828, Frederik VI chose to remain in Schack’s Palace (originally Løvenskiold’s Palace), thereby establishing Amalienborg as a permanent royal residence.
The ground level was dedicated to the Amalienborg Museum, which remains in the palace and focuses on the history of the Glücksburg dynasty.
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With its four nearly identical palaces, the Amalienborg complex is considered one of the finest examples of Rococo architecture in Europe. Its construction history dates back to 1749.
The master plan was the work of court architect Nicolai Eigtved, with the octagonal Amalienborg Palace Square as its designated centre. The plots surrounding the square were allocated to four of the king’s highly trusted subjects: Adam Gottlob Moltke, Christian Frederik von Levetzau, Severin Leopoldus Løvenskiold, and Joachim Brockdorff. The four noblemen were tasked with building four identical mansions, each flanked by smaller, two-storey pavilions connected by low gatehouses. In Moltke’s Palace, now named Christian VII’s Palace, the entrance was restored in 1996 and fitted with oak-yellow doors in line with the original colour scheme.
