While the Royal Family temporarily resided at Amalienborg after the fire of the first Christiansborg Palace in 1794, the architect C.F. Hansen began in 1803 to build the second Christiansborg in the Neo-classical style of the time. When the palace was completed in 1828, King Frederik VI had decided against living in the palace, and used it only for representation purposes. The only monarch who has lived at the palace is King Frederik VII, who resided there between 1852-63.
Besides the royal power, the second Christiansborg housed many other institutions, including the Supreme Court, the Royal Art Collection and Oldsagssamlingen. In connection with the introduction of democracy in 1849, the palace was also made available to the new Rigsdag.
In 1884 the second Christiansborg was also destroyed in a fire. This time, besides the Riding Ground Complex, the C.F. Hansen palace chapel and the adjoining buildings to the chapel, the ministerial buildings at Slotsholmsgade and the Kunstkammer building were also successfully saved.
Last updated:: Thursday, August 11, 2011
