Eremitage Palace
Encyclopedia
The Eremitage Palace or Eremitage Hunting Lodge (Danish
: or ) is located in Dyrehaven north of Copenhagen
, Denmark
. The palace was built by architect Lauritz de Thurah
in Baroque
style from 1734 to 1736 for Christian VI of Denmark
in order to host royal banquets during royal hunts in Dyrehaven.
, beginning in 1699. The project was not completed in his lifetime, and Christian V
, who was influenced by the time he had spent at the court of Louis XIV
in France, changed the plans for the fencing to include a much larger area in order to facilitate a new style of driven hunt. This style of hunting involved having hounds run the prey tired and hold it down until a hunter would step off his horse and make the kill at little effort. In order for the hunters to be able to keep track of the hounds, a landscape with straight paths laid out to meet in star-shaped intersections, from which the hunters would be able to see the prey and the hounds whenever they crossed one of the paths, was required.
The fencing of the larger area resulted in a compulsory relocation of the residents, and among other things the village of Stokkerup was demolished, and today only the village pond remains, south of the palace.
The first palace on the site, the Hubertus chalet (Danish: ), was built by Hans van Steenwinckel III for Christian V, and was completed around 1694. It was a half-timbered
house in two storeys, but the structure was most likely far too weak, and in spite of extensive repairs in 1731, the chalet was in such a poor condition in 1734 that it was deemed necessary to tear it down and Lauritz de Thurah was hired to build a new palace on the site. The palace was built during 1734 to 1736 during the reign of Christian VI at a total cost of about 18,000 rigsdaler
.
A planned renovation in 1786 was cancelled, as the estimated cost of 3,000 rigsdaler was considered too expensive. In 1790 the decision to tear the castle down was made, but the decision was not popular among everyone. Count Rantzau launched a defence of the palace and asked the king for permission to acquire it as his private property in exchange for Rantzau residence in Jægersborg and for giving the king access to the palace. In 1794, the project succeeded, and Rantzau began a renovation of the palace at a cost of 4,000 rigsdaler. It did not take long for Rantzau to find the location of the palace inconvenient and remote, however. He decided to sell and by 1797 the palace was royal property again.
In 1798, architect Johan Boye Junge Magens initiated yet another round of repairs, and in the process many of the exterior sculptures and decorations were removed. Magens was, as fashion dictated, eager to rid the building of the decorations that made it typical of its time.
In the early 19th century, after the Treaty of Kiel
, Frederick VI
changed the use of Dyrehaven; the area was mainly used for military exercises. The palace was still in use, but mainly for lunches for the king and officers. When Christian VIII
became king in 1839, the hunts resumed. Additionally, the palace became the centre of large, public gatherings, and in this period it was often the site of political negotiations. On 5 June 1854 it was the center of the first, large celebration of the Constitution of Denmark
during which 30,000 people assembled in front of the palace.
During the 1890s, architect Ferdinand Meldahl supervised a thorough renovation taking great care to restore the original exterior decorations of the palace. The interior decorations, which had been painted over, were cleaned up and renovated with an almost religious attention to the original works.
Today the castle is run by the Palaces and Properties Agency, a department of the Ministry of Finance
and is made available to the royal family.
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
: or ) is located in Dyrehaven north of Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. The palace was built by architect Lauritz de Thurah
Lauritz de Thurah
Laurids Lauridsen de Thurah, known as Lauritz de Thurah , was a Danish architect and architectural writer. He became the most important Danish architect of the late baroque period...
in Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
style from 1734 to 1736 for Christian VI of Denmark
Christian VI of Denmark
Christian VI was King of Denmark and Norway from 1730 to 1746.He was the son of King Frederick IV of Denmark and Norway and Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow. He married Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach and fathered Frederick V.-The reign and personality of Christian VI:To posterity Christian...
in order to host royal banquets during royal hunts in Dyrehaven.
Name
Never intended for residence, the Eremitage Palace was built as a setting for hosting royal banquets during hunts in Dyrehaven, which surrounds the palace. It originally featured a hoisting apparatus able to hoist the table from the basement to the dining room, allowing the King and his guests to dine without any waiters present, or "en ermitage" (in solitude), hence the name of the castle. The apparatus was removed in the late 18th century as it was causing endless mechanical problems, and no signs of it remain. The previous castle on the site, the Hubertus chalet, had a similar apparatus and was nicknamed for the same reason.History
The area surrounding the palace was fenced as Jægersborg Dyrehave on the initiative of Frederick IIIFrederick III of Denmark
Frederick III was king of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death. He instituted absolute monarchy in Denmark and Norway in 1660, confirmed by law in 1665 as the first in western historiography. He was born the second-eldest son of Christian IV of Denmark and Anne Catherine of Brandenburg...
, beginning in 1699. The project was not completed in his lifetime, and Christian V
Christian V of Denmark
Christian V , was king of Denmark and Norway from 1670 to 1699, the son of Frederick III of Denmark and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, who was influenced by the time he had spent at the court of Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
in France, changed the plans for the fencing to include a much larger area in order to facilitate a new style of driven hunt. This style of hunting involved having hounds run the prey tired and hold it down until a hunter would step off his horse and make the kill at little effort. In order for the hunters to be able to keep track of the hounds, a landscape with straight paths laid out to meet in star-shaped intersections, from which the hunters would be able to see the prey and the hounds whenever they crossed one of the paths, was required.
The fencing of the larger area resulted in a compulsory relocation of the residents, and among other things the village of Stokkerup was demolished, and today only the village pond remains, south of the palace.
The first palace on the site, the Hubertus chalet (Danish: ), was built by Hans van Steenwinckel III for Christian V, and was completed around 1694. It was a half-timbered
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
house in two storeys, but the structure was most likely far too weak, and in spite of extensive repairs in 1731, the chalet was in such a poor condition in 1734 that it was deemed necessary to tear it down and Lauritz de Thurah was hired to build a new palace on the site. The palace was built during 1734 to 1736 during the reign of Christian VI at a total cost of about 18,000 rigsdaler
Danish rigsdaler
The rigsdaler was the name of several currencies used in Denmark until 1873. The similarly named Reichsthaler, riksdaler and rijksdaalder were used in Germany and Austria-Hungary, Sweden and the Netherlands, respectively....
.
A planned renovation in 1786 was cancelled, as the estimated cost of 3,000 rigsdaler was considered too expensive. In 1790 the decision to tear the castle down was made, but the decision was not popular among everyone. Count Rantzau launched a defence of the palace and asked the king for permission to acquire it as his private property in exchange for Rantzau residence in Jægersborg and for giving the king access to the palace. In 1794, the project succeeded, and Rantzau began a renovation of the palace at a cost of 4,000 rigsdaler. It did not take long for Rantzau to find the location of the palace inconvenient and remote, however. He decided to sell and by 1797 the palace was royal property again.
In 1798, architect Johan Boye Junge Magens initiated yet another round of repairs, and in the process many of the exterior sculptures and decorations were removed. Magens was, as fashion dictated, eager to rid the building of the decorations that made it typical of its time.
In the early 19th century, after the Treaty of Kiel
Treaty of Kiel
The Treaty of Kiel or Peace of Kiel was concluded between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Kingdom of Sweden on one side and the Kingdoms of Denmark and Norway on the other side on 14 January 1814 in Kiel...
, Frederick VI
Frederick VI of Denmark
Frederick VI reigned as King of Denmark , and as king of Norway .-Regent of Denmark:Frederick's parents were King Christian VII and Caroline Matilda of Wales...
changed the use of Dyrehaven; the area was mainly used for military exercises. The palace was still in use, but mainly for lunches for the king and officers. When Christian VIII
Christian VIII of Denmark
Christian VIII , was king of Denmark from 1839 to 1848 and, as Christian Frederick, king of Norway in 1814. He was the eldest son of Hereditary Prince Frederick of Denmark and Norway and Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, born in 1786 at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen...
became king in 1839, the hunts resumed. Additionally, the palace became the centre of large, public gatherings, and in this period it was often the site of political negotiations. On 5 June 1854 it was the center of the first, large celebration of the Constitution of Denmark
Constitution of Denmark
The Constitutional Act of Denmark is the Kingdom of Denmark's constitution, or fundamental law. Originally verified in 1849, the last revision was signed on 5 June 1953 as "the existing law, for all to unswerving comply with, the Constitutional Act of Denmark".-Idea and structure:The main...
during which 30,000 people assembled in front of the palace.
During the 1890s, architect Ferdinand Meldahl supervised a thorough renovation taking great care to restore the original exterior decorations of the palace. The interior decorations, which had been painted over, were cleaned up and renovated with an almost religious attention to the original works.
Today the castle is run by the Palaces and Properties Agency, a department of the Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Finance of Denmark
The Ministry of Finance of Denmark is a ministry in the Government of Denmark. Among other things, it is in charge of the government budget , paying government employees and improving efficiency in government administration...
and is made available to the royal family.