Rosenborg Castle

Calendar
The Danish crown jewels
Plan your visit
The History of the Castle
Interior & objects

Experience Rosenborg Castle

Christian IV’s small favourite castle has an idyllic location, next to the King’s Garden in the heart of Copenhagen. Today, this Renaissance castle houses the Danish crown jewels, which are worn by the sitting queen on special occasions. You can also visit Christian IV’s audience rooms and see his bedchamber, where he passed away, in 1648. In the Treasury beneath the castle, you can see the Danish crown jewels, the magnificent royal crowns and the Crown regalia.

What's on

Calendar

The Danish crown jewels

Everything you need to know

Prepare for your visit and look forward to even greater experiences.

Find practical information for your visit.

Rosenborg Castle is a 400-year-old Renaissance building with many stairs and narrow doorways. This means that the physical accessibility has some limitations.

Unfortunately, the castle does not have a lift.

Take a virtual tour of Rosenborg Castle from home. The tour lets you move around the castle's halls and tower rooms, zoom in on objects and details, read additional information about the castle or visit our exhibitions. Enjoy!

You are not allowed to bring food and drink of any sort into the castle or the Treasury. You will be able to eat a packed lunch at the picnic tables in the outside lunch area close to the Castle Shop.

The History of the Castle

Delve into the history of Rosenborg Castle, which began as Christian IV's dream of an elegant garden with a summerhouse and evolved into a magnificent castle that for centuries has served as the setting of royal events and precious treasures.

1606

Christian IV’s Princely Garden

Christian IV wishes to create a garden to rival other princely estates. He purchases land outside the city to establish a private garden with pleasure pavilions and a moat.

1611

The Core of Rosenborg Castle

A two-story pleasure house is built, forming the core of the castle’s southern half. It features a spired staircase tower facing the city and an oriel tower on the east side. A gate tower with a drawbridge is also constructed, which later becomes the central part of the current gatehouse.

1615

Expansion

The pleasure house is doubled in size, giving the building its current length, though it remains only two stories high. It is ready for use in 1615, but construction continues the following year.

1624

Construction Completed

A third story is added, housing the Knight’s Hall, and the oriel towers are transformed into their current spired form. A large tower is built on the western side. The construction is completed in 1624, and in the same year Christian IV first refers to Rosenborg as his “great house in the garden.”

1632

A Tragic Drowning

Christian IV’s future son-in-law, Grand Chancellor Frants Rantzau, falls into the moat and drowns after a celebration. Legend has it that Christian IV attempts to rescue him and nearly falls in himself. The tragedy leads to the death of Anne Cathrine, who was to marry Rantzau, as she is said to have died of grief.

1634

A New Stair Tower for a Royal Wedding

The castle still lacks a suitable entrance to the official chambers on the first and second floors when Christian IV prepares to host his son Christian’s lavish wedding to Magdalena Sibylla. The existing staircase tower is demolished and replaced with the current tower, along with an external double staircase leading to the first floor.