On the middle islet, two parallel two-storey wings surrounded the 'Outer Courtyard'. To the west the Lord of the Manor's House was erected in 1611. It was the residence of the lord lieutenant. To the east was the Chancellery from 1615, which was used by government officials when the King was in residence. Both buildings had an octagonal stair turret and the sweeping gables of the Renaissance style.
Facing the first islet a low barrier wall was erected with a heavy square gate tower on the central axis. A splendid sandstone portal bearing the King's coat of arms was erected on the south side of the gate tower or castle keep. The squat tower, which was the last building to be erected - it was completed in 1620 - was fitted with the castle's tallest and most detailed multi-storey spire.
The Neptune fountain
In 1622, an exquisite work of art was mounted in the middle of the courtyard: a fountain with the sea god Neptune towering over a number of bronze figures. The Neptune fountain, an allegory of the ruler of the seas, was executed at the sculptor Adriaen de Vries' workshop at the Court of Emperor Rudolph in Prague.
Because Frederik II's buildings on the first islet were preserved, the longitudinal axis of this construction was offset in relation to the axis of Christian IV's buildings from the gate tower to the building called 'Savings'. They were connected by an S-shaped bridge aptly named the 'S bridge'.
Last updated:: Monday, December 05, 2011
