Once home to kings and queens, Christiansborg Palace now houses the Danish Parliament, the Supreme Court, and the Ministry of State. You can visit the state rooms and walk in the footsteps of royalty. The Royal Reception Rooms at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen are used by the Queen for official occasions. Walk though gilded rooms and decorated salons, some of which are still used by the Royal Family for various functions and events. The Royal Reception Rooms include The Tower Room and The Oval Throne Room where foreign ambassadors to Denmark are received by the King. The lavish Throne Room gives access to the balcony where the Danish monarchs are proclaimed, with twin thrones to admire. The Great Hall is the most imposing room in the palace. This is where you will find the Queen's tapestries.The Danish business community marked the occasion of Queen Margrethe's 50th birthday in 1990 by ordering a gift of 11 tapestries. Bjørn Nørgaard painted the full-size sketches upon which the tapestries were woven. The tapestry series depicts 1000 years of Danish history.The Prime Minister of Denmark also uses The Royal Reception Rooms in connection with state visits by foreign state leaders. The Alexandra Hall is used for official dinners.If you hold a ticket to the Royal Reception Rooms, you are entitled to a free guided tour of the premises. Other experiences at Christiansborg Palace include a spooky tour of the ruins discovered underneath the palace, which include a wall dating to the Middle Ages, and a trip round the castle's former kitchens, complete with sounds and models. The Reception Rooms are richly adorned with furniture and works of art rescued from the two previous palaces, as well as decorations by some of the best Danish artists, such as Nikolaj Abraham Abildgaard, Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg and Bjørn Nørgaard. Admission during opening hours, provided that the royal family is not using the premises for official occasions.

When the present Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen was constructed, the National Museum took care to excavate and protect the ruins of the Palace's oldest predecessors, Bishop Absalon's Castle of 1167 and Copenhagen Castle that replaced it. Christiansborg is outstanding in the respect that here you will find, under the same roof, Denmark's political centre of today and the remains of the country's principal castle of the Middle Ages. Revealed by accident When casting the foundations of the present Christiansborg Palace, workers struck upon the ruins of older buildings and the remnants of a curtain wall. Experts were called in from the National Museum, and a close inspection revealed that the ruins dated back as far as 1167. What they had come upon was Bishop Absalon's Castle, once situated on a tiny island off the Merchants' Habour. Walking around this underground site, you will get an idea of how the castle was continually renewed and developed. The later castle and the infamous Blue Tower The Copenhagen Castle, built on the same site, was surrounded by a moat and had a large tower as an entrance gate. The castle was rebuilt several times. King Christian IV added a spire to the tower, the infamous Blue Tower, where only prominent prisoners of state were kept. In the 1720s, King Frederik IV entirely rebuilt the castle, but as a result of this total reconstruction, the walls had become so heavy they started to give way and to crack. King Christian VI, Frederik IV's successor, soon realised the necessity of demolishing the old castle and erecting a new one on the site. This new castle was to be the first Christiansborg Palace. Special Exhibitions (Christiansborgslot.dk) Might & Magic, 27.09.2024 - 27.04.2025 The history of Danish witchcraft is a tangle of myths and mysteries. Three women acused of witchcraft, Maren Splids, Christenze Kruckow and Maren Ringsbjerg, will finally be given a voice in 2024, when the Might & Magic exhibition opens. Leading female actors lend their voices to a captivating audio track relating the fates of the three women in interactions with stunning set design. The Might & Magic exhibition was created in collaboration with Award-winning set designer Ditte Marie Walter Tygesen and researchers from the HEX! Museum of Witch Hunt in Ribe. Join us on a journey back to the Renaissance, deep into in the dark ruins beneath Christiansborg Castle, where we’ll tell you what really happened, in the place where it happened.  You’ll meet three women from some of Denmark’s most famous witch trials. Sense the lingering echoes of that bygone era, palpable in the very air around you. Trace the fates of these women as their threads of fate weave their way through the scenography, criss-crossing the ruins and spinning a gripping visualisation of their lives. The trials of Maren Splids, Christenze Kruckow and Maren Ringsbjerg were all personally overseen by Christian IV, who had them brought to Copenhagen Castle.   Who were the accused? And why did the king have them brought to his castle when he was so afraid of them? Have a go at performing magic with engaging interactive elements. Try predicting the future in lead, measuring with threads of fate, using crystals to strengthen the mind and body, and get inspiration on how to make and use a wax child – the Nordic answer to voodoo dolls.

Experience runestones, stand face to face with bog bodies, see The Golden Horns, be inspired by the suit worn by the first Dane in space and see an original hash stall from Freetown Christiania. The National Museum tells the history of Denmark from the earliest settlements to the life today.  Iconic treasures of Danish history Experience world-famous highlights with a starring role in Danish history. Runestones, The Golden Horns, the suit worn by the first Dane in space and the hash stall from Freetown Christiania that has become a symbol of Danish liberal-mindedness. 'THE VIKING SORCERESS' Meet the powerful sorceress of the Viking Age at the National Museum’s spectacular exhibition. Step inside the mystical universe of the Vikings and unravel their complex relationship to their own age and the future. The Children’s Museum Here you are invited to play and touch everything in sight! Join a raid in the Viking ship, discover a backyard of the 1930s or enter a classroom of the past and experience what school was like for the great-grandparents of Danes. Board the cargo ship and settle down in the berth in the cabin, or explore a Pakistani market and buy food in the bazaar. You can also cook in a Medieval kitchen, or prepare the knights’ castle for defense against enemy attacks. Special exhibition: The roots of Christmas, 15/11/24-5/1/25 (Ritzau.dk) The exhibition The Roots of Christmas is a total experience taking you into different Christmas universes. In the first you find yourself in a gigantic Advent calendar where the windows of the National Museum have been transformed into 24 calendar doors. Behind the doors are old Christmas decorations that reveal surprising stories about Christmas past. In the next universe you arrive at a dark Danish farmyard on the night of Christmas. You are actually not meant to be out here, because the dark forces of nature are even more powerful at Christmas. Next stop is a forest a thousand years ago, where Vikings have just killed a pig as an offering to the gods. As you go through the exhibition you discover that Christmas is an age-old ritual full of surprises. The traditional Danish tale Peter’s Christmas has been a source of Christmas nostalgia since the 1800s, but Christmas has much deeper roots in Christianity and the pagan winter celebration Jól. Christmas was once a seasonal ritual connecting people, nature and the gods. It marked the transition to a new year and brought prosperity and fertility. Eat Nordic With clear references to classic lunch and local dishes, restaurant Smör serves new interpretations of Danish food. NB: The Museum is closed on the 24th, 25th and 31st of December. However, you are more than welcome to visit between 10-17 on the 1st of January.

Vivid colours and grand architectural design characterise the museum, which houses the works of the world-famous Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. Thorvaldsens Museum opened on September 18th 1848 and was the first public museum in Denmark. The characteristic building was built to exhibit the extensive works of the sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. Today the museum looks more or less as it did when it opened over 150 years ago. A tour of the museum reveals a very special opportunity to enjoy world-class art and architecture. The museum houses the work of the world-famous Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844). Located at Slotsholmen in the heart of Copenhagen the museum is very close to some of the most popular attractions of the city.  Their free audio guide offers visitors a glimpse into the history of the sculptures which represents Roman gods and famous historical personages. Special exhibitions (thorvaldsensmuseum.dk): THORVALDSEN - WORKS AND DAYS An introduction to the famous sculptor.  TRAVELLING, 9.10.2024 – 26.2.2025 To travel is to step out of the familiar and into a world of possibilities, where each step opens the door to new cultures, landscapes, and encounters. Both inner and outer journeys enrich the soul, challenge the mind, and create memories that last a lifetime. In the exhibition Travelling, we focus on both the outer and inner journey. Through Thorvaldsen's many adventures and travels, we provide insight into the practicalities, obligations, pleasures, and dangers associated with travelling. The romanticised image we have of travel today was not necessarily the reality of Thorvaldsen's time. Through the motifs of Golden Age painters, especially from Italy, the exhibition offers a visual journey back in time, revealing the inspiring landscapes and cultural encounters that shaped Thorvaldsen's life. The exhibition is a celebration of Thorvaldsen's life and career, and a tribute to the artistic connections and friendships that influenced his work.

Pay a visit to the Royal Kitchen under Christiansborg. This is where you can have a unique look behind the scenes of the royal parties and celebrations. What goes on in the royal kitchen when there is a gala dinner at the palace in 1937? The sweet aroma of beef tenderloin for 275 guests wafts out of the ovens - muscular chefs stagger around under the weight of the ton-heavy copper pots - the confectioner constructs exquisite crowns of candied fruit. Come and experience the royal party preparations as they are today and in days of old.