Exterior view

Built on three islets, in the main castle building the symmetrical requirements of the Renaissance style are broken by the large clock-tower on the chapel wing, while the three wings are effectively independent houses superficially merged to form a whole. The castle combines old and new. The exterior is in Netherlandish Renaissance style, red brick buildings with sandstone details, embellished by sweeping gables and imaginative spires. The resulting picturesque quality was evidently more important than the rigorous requirements of symmetry. Moreover, of greatest importance for the builder was the lavish sculptural decoration, which glorifies Christian IV as the leading Protestant prince through themes from astrology and ancient mythology and ancient Roman and Danish history. This triumphal process culminates in the chapel, the entire decoration of which can be seen as a demonstration of the King’s theocratic princely ideal.

The photo shows detail of the main fa�ade with the entrance.