Hirschholm Palace
Encyclopedia
Hirschholm Palace, also known as Hørsholm Palace, was a royal palace located in present-day Hørsholm municipality
just north of Copenhagen
, Denmark
. It was rebuilt in the Baroque style
in the 1740s and, one of the finest buildings of its time, it became known as the "Versailles
of the North".
It developed a notorious reputation in connection with its role in the affair between Johann Friedrich Struensee
and Queen Caroline Mathilda
in the 1770s. After that it fell into despair and was demolished in 1819-13.
The palace was designed by Lauritz de Thurah
for King Christian VI
and his consort Queen Sophie Magdalene
, and was intended as their summer residence.
. From around 1100 there was a fortification at site known as Hørningsholm. In 1391 the estate became crown land
when Queen Margrete I
took possession of the property. At the end of the 16th century Frederik II
and Christian IV
built a small royal hunting castle (jagtslot) on the site. The estate, which covered a large area (the present day municipalities of Hørsholm
, Karlebo
, Birkerød
and a part of Allerød
) was called the Noble Estate of Hørsholm (adelsgodset Hørsholm), and was endowed to various noblemen and members of the royal court.
By the middle of the 17th century a royal tradition had developed whereby the ruling king bestowed Hørsholm Palace to his consort, and it was used as a summer residence. The estate was now being driven directly by the royal house, and income went to the Queen.
Frederick IV
’s consort Queen Louise
owned Hørsholm Palace between 1700 and 1721. She had it modernised and added a number of farm buildings to the estate..
palace was completed in 1744, and was one of the most impressive building works of that period. It was referred to as "The Versailles
of the North". When the king died in 1746 it became Sophie Magdalene’s residence as Queen Dowager
. She carried out a number of change on the estate that pointed towards the agricultural reform
s that would come to play a big role in the country during the coming decades.
Thurah’s drawings of the palace were published in Den Danske Vitruvius
in 1746-1749.
The Dowager Queen died in 1770, and the palace was taken over by the schizophrenic
King Christian VII
who used it as a summer residence for his family and court. On 17 June 1771 the royal family and court took summer residence at the Palace, and on 7 July Caroline Mathilde gave birth to her second child, Princess Louise Augusta, whose father was almost certainly Struensee. That summer has come to be referred to as the "Hirschholm Summer" in Danish history.
After that summer, and after the arrest of Struensee and the Queen on 17 January 1772, and the subsequent execution of Struensee, and the banishment and imprisonment of the Queen, the palace stood empty until 1810. At that time Frederik VI
had the now dilapidated palace torn down for use as build materials for the rebuilding of Christiansborg Palace
, which had burned to the ground in the fire of 1794.
was built on the grounds of the demolished palace. The park surrounding the church, which is located on a small island in a lake, still bears some evidence of the original palace garden. A number of the farm buildings Louise
had built in the early 18th century still exist. Some of them house the Danish Museum of Hunting and Forestry.
The Hørsholm Local Museum has a permanent exhibit about the palace, the royal affair and its consequences.
Hørsholm
Hørsholm Kommune is a municipality in the Copenhagen Capital Region in the northern part of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 31 km², and has a total population of 24,197...
just 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...
. It was rebuilt in the Baroque style
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...
in the 1740s and, one of the finest buildings of its time, it became known as the "Versailles
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles , or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. In French it is the Château de Versailles....
of the North".
It developed a notorious reputation in connection with its role in the affair between Johann Friedrich Struensee
Johann Friedrich Struensee
Count Johann Friedrich Struensee was a German doctor. He became royal physician to the mentally ill King Christian VII of Denmark and a minister in the Danish government. He rose in power to a position of “de facto” regent of the country, where he tried to carry out widespread reforms...
and Queen Caroline Mathilda
Caroline Matilda of Wales
Caroline Matilda of Great Britain was Queen of Denmark and Norway from 1766 to 1772 and a member of the British Royal Family.-Early life:...
in the 1770s. After that it fell into despair and was demolished in 1819-13.
The palace was designed by 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...
for King Christian VI
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...
and his consort Queen Sophie Magdalene
Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach
Sophia Magdalene of Brandenburg-Kulmbach was queen-consort of Denmark and Norway as the wife of King Christian VI of Denmark and Norway.-Background:...
, and was intended as their summer residence.
Early history
Hirschholm Paæace was built on a site that had been used since the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. From around 1100 there was a fortification at site known as Hørningsholm. In 1391 the estate became crown land
Crown land
In Commonwealth realms, Crown land is an area belonging to the monarch , the equivalent of an entailed estate that passed with the monarchy and could not be alienated from it....
when Queen Margrete I
Margaret I of Denmark
Margaret I was Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden and founder of the Kalmar Union, which united the Scandinavian countries for over a century. Although she acted as queen regnant, the laws of contemporary Danish succession denied her formal queenship. Her title in Denmark was derived from her...
took possession of the property. At the end of the 16th century Frederik II
Frederick II of Denmark
Frederick II was King of Denmark and Norway and duke of Schleswig from 1559 until his death.-King of Denmark:Frederick II was the son of King Christian III of Denmark and Norway and Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg. Frederick II stands as the typical renaissance ruler of Denmark. Unlike his father, he...
and Christian IV
Christian IV of Denmark
Christian IV was the king of Denmark-Norway from 1588 until his death. With a reign of more than 59 years, he is the longest-reigning monarch of Denmark, and he is frequently remembered as one of the most popular, ambitious and proactive Danish kings, having initiated many reforms and projects...
built a small royal hunting castle (jagtslot) on the site. The estate, which covered a large area (the present day municipalities of Hørsholm
Hørsholm
Hørsholm Kommune is a municipality in the Copenhagen Capital Region in the northern part of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 31 km², and has a total population of 24,197...
, Karlebo
Karlebo
Karlebo Kommune was until January 1, 2007 a municipality in Frederiksborg County on the east coast of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark....
, Birkerød
Birkerød
Birkerød is a town and was a municipality in Frederiksborg County on the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark...
and a part of Allerød
Allerød
Allerød may refer to either of these:* Allerød Municipality, a municipality in Denmark** Lillerød, also called Allerød, seat of the municipality** Allerød station, a railway station in the Danish town...
) was called the Noble Estate of Hørsholm (adelsgodset Hørsholm), and was endowed to various noblemen and members of the royal court.
By the middle of the 17th century a royal tradition had developed whereby the ruling king bestowed Hørsholm Palace to his consort, and it was used as a summer residence. The estate was now being driven directly by the royal house, and income went to the Queen.
Frederick IV
Frederick IV of Denmark
Frederick IV was the king of Denmark and Norway from 1699 until his death. Frederick was the son of King Christian V of Denmark and Norway and Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel .-Foreign affairs:...
’s consort Queen Louise
Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow was Queen consort of Denmark and Norway as the first spouse of the King Frederick IV of Denmark....
owned Hørsholm Palace between 1700 and 1721. She had it modernised and added a number of farm buildings to the estate..
The Baroque Palace
The de Thurah-designed baroqueBaroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
palace was completed in 1744, and was one of the most impressive building works of that period. It was referred to as "The Versailles
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles , or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. In French it is the Château de Versailles....
of the North". When the king died in 1746 it became Sophie Magdalene’s residence as Queen Dowager
Queen Dowager
A queen dowager or dowager queen is a title or status generally held by the widow of a deceased king. In the case of the widow of a deceased emperor, the title of empress dowager is used...
. She carried out a number of change on the estate that pointed towards the agricultural reform
Land reform
[Image:Jakarta farmers protest23.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Farmers protesting for Land Reform in Indonesia]Land reform involves the changing of laws, regulations or customs regarding land ownership. Land reform may consist of a government-initiated or government-backed property redistribution,...
s that would come to play a big role in the country during the coming decades.
Thurah’s drawings of the palace were published in Den Danske Vitruvius
Den Danske Vitruvius
Den Danske Vitruvius I-II is a richly illustrated 18th century architectural work on Danish monumental buildings of the period, written by the Danish Baroque architect Lauritz de Thurah. It was commissioned by Christian V in 1735 and published in two volumes between 1746 and 1749...
in 1746-1749.
The Dowager Queen died in 1770, and the palace was taken over by the schizophrenic
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
King Christian VII
Christian VII of Denmark
Christian VII was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Schleswig and Holstein from 1766 until his death. He was the son of Danish King Frederick V and his first consort Louisa, daughter of King George II of Great Britain....
who used it as a summer residence for his family and court. On 17 June 1771 the royal family and court took summer residence at the Palace, and on 7 July Caroline Mathilde gave birth to her second child, Princess Louise Augusta, whose father was almost certainly Struensee. That summer has come to be referred to as the "Hirschholm Summer" in Danish history.
After that summer, and after the arrest of Struensee and the Queen on 17 January 1772, and the subsequent execution of Struensee, and the banishment and imprisonment of the Queen, the palace stood empty until 1810. At that time Frederik 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...
had the now dilapidated palace torn down for use as build materials for the rebuilding of Christiansborg Palace
Christiansborg Palace
Christiansborg Palace, , on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, is the seat of the Folketing , the Danish Prime Minister's Office and the Danish Supreme Court...
, which had burned to the ground in the fire of 1794.
The site today
In 1822-23 a small church designed by architect Christian Frederik HansenChristian Frederik Hansen
Christian Frederik Hansen , known as C.F. Hansen, was the leading Danish architect between the late 18th century and the mid 19th century, and on account of his position at the Royal Danish Academy of Art the most powerful person in artistic circles for many years...
was built on the grounds of the demolished palace. The park surrounding the church, which is located on a small island in a lake, still bears some evidence of the original palace garden. A number of the farm buildings Louise
Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow
Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow was Queen consort of Denmark and Norway as the first spouse of the King Frederick IV of Denmark....
had built in the early 18th century still exist. Some of them house the Danish Museum of Hunting and Forestry.
The Hørsholm Local Museum has a permanent exhibit about the palace, the royal affair and its consequences.