Copenhagen
Amalienborg is the home of the Danish kings in Copenhagen. It has four palaces from the 1700s around a large square, with King Frederik V's statue in the middle.
A district for a celebration
In the mid-1700s the Oldenburg royal family was celebrating 300 years of rule. To mark the occasion, King Frederik V had a new district built, Frederiksstaden. In its centre he placed a square with four palaces.
The court architect Nicolai Eigtved designed the whole district, with straight streets and precise rules for the houses.
From nobles' palaces to royal home
At first the four palaces belonged to four very powerful nobles. In 1794 the king suddenly needed a new home. Soon after, the king bought two of the Amalienborg palaces.
The royal family has lived here ever since. A colonnade from 1794, a row of columns by the architect C.F. Harsdorff, joins two palaces over the street.
The statue of Frederik V
It is one of the finest statues in the world of a king riding a horse. The king wears a laurel wreath, like a ruler of ancient times.
Complete with base, railing and chains, it was finished only in 1774. In all, it took about 20 years.
What to look at
Walk around the square: each of the four palaces has its own name. The colonnade links two palaces. On the other side, towards the harbour, is the public garden Amaliehaven.
