Frederik VIII’s Palace underwent thorough refurbishment from 2004 to 2010, and in the future it will serve as a residence for Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary. In addition to living quarters, the palace comprises official reception rooms and administration facilities for Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince and Crown Princess’s Household.
Palace history
Frederik VIII’s Palace, or Brockdorff’s Palace, was built for Baron Joachim Brockdorff in 1750–60 under the leadership of Niels Eigtved, the royal master builder. The construction project was completed in 1754 by general master builder Lauritz de Thurah. After Brockdorff’s death in 1763, the palace was acquired by Lord High Steward A. G. Moltke, who sold the palace to Frederik V two years later.
From 1767, the palace served as the National Military Academy. This required the ceiling of the Banquet Hall to be lowered so it could be used for physical education purposes. In 1788, the military academy became a naval college. After the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, additional midshipmen were needed. The college’s lack of space was resolved by adding a storey to the palace’s middle buildings, similar to what had been done to the other palaces a few years earlier.
Rebuilt in Empire style
The naval college had to find other facilities when Frederik VI wanted to have his daughter Vilhelmine and the heir to the throne Frederik VII reside in the palace after their wedding. Architect Jørgen Hansen Koch thoroughly refurbished the palace in Empire style in 1828–30. The wedding between Frederik VII and Vilhelmine was dissolved in 1837, after which the palace housed a succession of royal house members, until crown prince Frederik (later Frederik VIII) moved into the palace in 1869. Frederik VIII became king in 1906 and the palace was subsequently named after him.
The palace was refurbished in 1935–36 by Thorvald Jørgensen, the royal inspector of listed state buildings, as the residence for the then heir to the throne and his wife, Crown Prince Frederik (later Frederik IX) and Crown Princess Ingrid. Queen Ingrid resided in the palace until her death in November 2000.
Last updated:: Wednesday, March 03, 2010
