General view

In 1550, Frederick II, King of Denmark and Norway (reg 1559-1588), acquired the Hillerødsholm Estate, renamed it Frederiksborg, and used the castle as a royal hunting lodge. Frederik’s son Christian, who was born there became very attached to the castle as a child. Nevertheless, when reigning as Christian IV (1588-1648) he decided to have it completely rebuilt in Netherlandish Renaissance style. The old building was demolished in 1599 and the Flemish architect Hans van Steenwinckel the Elder was charged with planning the new building. After his death in 1601, his sons Hans and Lourens completed the assignment. The main four-storey building with its three wings was completed around 1610 but work continued on the Chapel until 1618. The entire complex was finished around 1620 becoming the largest Renaissance building in Scandinavia.

Danish kings were crowned in Frederiksborg from 1660 to 1840, and it was a favourite royal residence until gutted by fire in 1859. It was restored, and the National Historical Museum was founded there in 1878.

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.