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.

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 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. Eat Nordic With clear references to classic lunch and local dishes, restaurant Smör serves new interpretations of Danish food.

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.

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. Flora Italica: 17.6.23-24.9.24 Thorvaldsen’s sculptures have in their own way contributed to the danish flora as we know it today. In our upcoming focus exhibition FLORA ITALICA we introduce our guests to the flora and biodiversity of Thorvaldsen’s time.  The exhibition is based on the poetic but true story, that an Italian flower field blossomed on the square in front of the museum in the 1840’s. This botanical phenomenon occurred because Thorvaldsen’s sculptures were wrapped in Italian hay on their transport from Rome to Copenhagen. During the unwrapping of the artworks, large quantities of hay were disposed off in front of the museum, and the seeds began to blossom creating an Italian meadow.    In the exhibition the museums court yard will be transformed into an Italian meadow, using recreations of the original seeds from Thorvaldsen’s time. The American artist Crystal Bennes revives the ancient meadow – thus creating a tangible and visual aspect to our days problems with biodiversity. Guests will also be able to experience new contemporary art works with a focus on the beauty of plant structure and biodiversity.   The botanist Johan Lange collected a large number of the Italian plants, and had them preserved for future generations. These specimens will be exhibited for the very first time, along with the new works by contemporary artists.  Come by and experience the original Italian meadow, dive into the beauty of plants and learn more about the challenges we face in our current biodiversity.