Sophie Amalienborg
Encyclopedia
Sophie Amalienborg was a pleasure palace
roughly located where Amalienborg Palace
stands today in Copenhagen
, Denmark
. It was built by Queen Consort Sophie Amalie who lived there until her death in 1685 after her husband, King Frederick III
, died a few years prior to its completion.
It burnt down to the ground on 19 April 1689
in a fire which caused many casualties. A second Sophie Amalienborg was built at the site but demolished to make room for the development of Frederiksstaden
, a complement to King's Garden located outside the Western City Gate, which had been destroyed by the Swedish troops during their Siege of Copenhagen in the Second Northern War
from 1658 to 60.
At the end of the war, Sophie Amalie acquired several pieces of land in the area known as New Copenhagen which had recently been incorporated into the walled city after the course of Eastern Rampart had been changed. The land had originally been acquired by King Christian IV
early in the century. Other parts of the land had been used for Rosenborg Castle
and Nyboder
even before the changes in the course of the fortifications but the area east of Bredgade
had remained undeveloped.
The queens acquisitions occupied an area roughly defined by present-day Bredgade
, Frederiksgade
, Amaliegade
and Sankt Annæ Plads
. Work on the garden began in 1664 and from 1666 to 1667 the Frenchman Michel le Roy was responsible for its design, particularly that of the fountains and the water system. The pleasure palace was built from 1669 to 1673 after Sophie Amalie had succeeded in providing the necessary means in spite of the hard times following the war. It is unclear who was the architect of the building but it is generally attributed to Albertus Mathiesen. Another possibility is that le Roy was also involved in the design of the palace and not only the gardens. In early documents he is referred to merely as "Ingenieur", while he is later titulated "Baumeister der Koniginn".
The King died in 1670, and the Queen Dowager
lived there until her death on 20 February 1685.
took over the palace. He found it well suited for representative purposes and on 15 April 1689 it was the venue used for the celebrations of his forty-fourth birthday with the presentation of a German opera, perhaps, the first opera presentation in Denmark, in a specially built, temporary theatre building on the premises. The presentation was a great success, and it was repeated a few days later on 19 April. However, immediately after the start of the second performance a stage decoration caught fire, causing the theatre and the palace to burn to the ground, and about 180 people to lose their lives.
, who spent some time in Copenhagen that summer, reviewing the property. His drawing and model were completed in 1697. However, the king ultimately found the plans too ambitious, and instead began tearing down the existing buildings that same year. The reclaimed building materials were used to build the new Garrison Church.
The second Amalienborg was built by Frederick IV
at the beginning of his reign. It was a modest summerhouse, a central pavilion with orangeries
, and arcades on both side of the pavilion. On one side of the buildings was a French-style garden, and on the other side were military drill grounds. The pavilion had a dining room on the groundfloor. On the upper floor was a salon overlooking the harbour, the garden and the drill grounds. This building was ultimately demolished to make room for Frederiksstaden
.
with long one-storey lateral wings. The central wing had a high ground floor with a mezzanine
. It had a flat roof lined by a balustrade and with a small tower in its centre.
Lustschloss
A Lustschloss is a small palace which served the private pleasure of its owner, usually the ruler of the area. It is located in, and was inhabited for court, ceremonial, and state duties.A Lustschloss is often coupled with a Jagdschloss...
roughly located where Amalienborg Palace
Amalienborg Palace
Amalienborg Palace is the winter home of the Danish royal family, and is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. It consists of four identical classicizing palace façades with rococo interiors around an octagonal courtyard ; in the centre of the square is a monumental equestrian statue of Amalienborg's...
stands today in 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 built by Queen Consort Sophie Amalie who lived there until her death in 1685 after her husband, King Frederick III
Frederick 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...
, died a few years prior to its completion.
It burnt down to the ground on 19 April 1689
1689 in Denmark
-Events:* April 19 – Sophie Amalienborg burns down when a stage decoration catches fire during an opera performance in connection with the king's birthsday a few days earlier. 170 people are killed, including many prominent citizens....
in a fire which caused many casualties. A second Sophie Amalienborg was built at the site but demolished to make room for the development of Frederiksstaden
Frederiksstaden
Frederiksstaden is a district in Copenhagen, Denmark. Constructed during the reign of Frederick V in the second half of the 18th century and it is considered to be one of the most important rococo complexes in Europe....
Construction of the new pleasure palace
Sophie Amalienborg was built as a replacement for Queen's GardenDronningens Enghave
Dronningens Enghave was a seventeenth century royal pleasure garden located just outside the Western City Gate of Copenhagen, Denmark, roughly where Tivoli Gardens and Copenhagen Central Station lies today.-History:...
, a complement to King's Garden located outside the Western City Gate, which had been destroyed by the Swedish troops during their Siege of Copenhagen in the Second Northern War
Second Northern War
The Second Northern War was fought between Sweden and its adversaries the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , Russia , Brandenburg-Prussia , the Habsburg Monarchy and Denmark–Norway...
from 1658 to 60.
At the end of the war, Sophie Amalie acquired several pieces of land in the area known as New Copenhagen which had recently been incorporated into the walled city after the course of Eastern Rampart had been changed. The land had originally been acquired by King 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...
early in the century. Other parts of the land had been used for Rosenborg Castle
Rosenborg Castle
Rosenborg Castle is a renaissance castle located in the centre of Copenhagen, Denmark. The castle was originally built as a country summerhouse in 1606 and is an example of Christian IV's many architectural projects...
and Nyboder
Nyboder
Nyboder is a historic row house district of former Naval barracks in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was planned and first built by Christian IV to accommodate a need for housing for the personnel of the rapidly growing Royal Danish Navy and their families during that time...
even before the changes in the course of the fortifications but the area east of Bredgade
Bredgade
Bredgade is one of the most prominent streets in Copenhagen, Denmark. Running in a straight line from Kongens Nytorv for just under one kilometre to the intersection of Esplanaden and Grønningen, it is one of the major streets in Frederiksstaden, a Rococo district laid out in the middle of the...
had remained undeveloped.
The queens acquisitions occupied an area roughly defined by present-day Bredgade
Bredgade
Bredgade is one of the most prominent streets in Copenhagen, Denmark. Running in a straight line from Kongens Nytorv for just under one kilometre to the intersection of Esplanaden and Grønningen, it is one of the major streets in Frederiksstaden, a Rococo district laid out in the middle of the...
, Frederiksgade
Frederiksgade
Frederiksgade is a street in the Frederiksstaden neighbourhood of central Copenhagen. It runs east from Store Kongensgade to Tolbodgade on the waterfront, passing the Marble Church, Bredgade and Amaliegade on the way...
, Amaliegade
Amaliegade
Amaliegade is a street in central Copenhagen, Denmark, which makes up the longer of the two axes on which the Rococo district Frederiksstaden is centred...
and Sankt Annæ Plads
Sankt Annæ Plads
Sankt Annæ Plads is a public square which marks the border between the Nyhavn area and the Frederiksstaden district in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is a long narrow rectangle which extends inland from the waterfront, at a point just north of the Royal Danish Playhouse at the base of the Kvæsthusbroen...
. Work on the garden began in 1664 and from 1666 to 1667 the Frenchman Michel le Roy was responsible for its design, particularly that of the fountains and the water system. The pleasure palace was built from 1669 to 1673 after Sophie Amalie had succeeded in providing the necessary means in spite of the hard times following the war. It is unclear who was the architect of the building but it is generally attributed to Albertus Mathiesen. Another possibility is that le Roy was also involved in the design of the palace and not only the gardens. In early documents he is referred to merely as "Ingenieur", while he is later titulated "Baumeister der Koniginn".
The King died in 1670, and the 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...
lived there until her death on 20 February 1685.
The end of the first Sophie Amalienborg
After Sophie Amalie's death her son King Christian VChristian 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...
took over the palace. He found it well suited for representative purposes and on 15 April 1689 it was the venue used for the celebrations of his forty-fourth birthday with the presentation of a German opera, perhaps, the first opera presentation in Denmark, in a specially built, temporary theatre building on the premises. The presentation was a great success, and it was repeated a few days later on 19 April. However, immediately after the start of the second performance a stage decoration caught fire, causing the theatre and the palace to burn to the ground, and about 180 people to lose their lives.
The second Sophie Amalienborg
The King planned to rebuild the palace, whose church, Royal Household and garden buildings were still intact. Ole Rømer headed the preparatory work for the rebuilding of Sophie Amalienborg in the early 1690s. In 1694 the King negotiated a deal with the Swedish building master Nicodemus Tessin the YoungerNicodemus Tessin the Younger
Count Nicodemus Tessin the Younger was a Swedish Baroque architect, city planner, and administrator.The son of Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and the father of Carl Gustaf Tessin, Tessin the Younger was the middle-most generation of the brief Tessin dynasty, which have had a lasting influence on...
, who spent some time in Copenhagen that summer, reviewing the property. His drawing and model were completed in 1697. However, the king ultimately found the plans too ambitious, and instead began tearing down the existing buildings that same year. The reclaimed building materials were used to build the new Garrison Church.
The second Amalienborg was built by 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:...
at the beginning of his reign. It was a modest summerhouse, a central pavilion with orangeries
Orangery
An orangery was a building in the grounds of fashionable residences from the 17th to the 19th centuries and given a classicising architectural form. The orangery was similar to a greenhouse or conservatory...
, and arcades on both side of the pavilion. On one side of the buildings was a French-style garden, and on the other side were military drill grounds. The pavilion had a dining room on the groundfloor. On the upper floor was a salon overlooking the harbour, the garden and the drill grounds. This building was ultimately demolished to make room for Frederiksstaden
Frederiksstaden
Frederiksstaden is a district in Copenhagen, Denmark. Constructed during the reign of Frederick V in the second half of the 18th century and it is considered to be one of the most important rococo complexes in Europe....
.
Architecture
Sophie Amalienborg was built in the style of a large three storey Italian villa suburbanaRoman villa
A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...
with long one-storey lateral wings. The central wing had a high ground floor with a mezzanine
Mezzanine
Mezzanine may refer to:* Mezzanine , an intermediate floor between main floors of a building* Mezzanine, in technology, can refer to a thin sheet of plastic insulating different parts of circuitry from each other in cramped environments, such as laptop interiors* Mezzanine board, or daughterboard,...
. It had a flat roof lined by a balustrade and with a small tower in its centre.