Restoration of the S-Bridge

The S-bridge at Frederiksborg Castle is being repaired in 2005 and the work is expected to be complete in October. The bridge floor is being sealed against seeping water, the masonry and stone facing are being overhauled, and the balustrade is being painted. The work has revealed that the bridge’s old membrane is leaky, which means that over the years water has penetrated down through the bridge structure. This has caused damage to the underlying arches, and it has been necessary to establish a new membrane with drains, brick up the arches and repair the holes in the arches.

History of the S-bridge

The S-bridge was built in 1620 by Christian IV. The bridge, which is S-shaped as its name suggests, links the Gate Tower in Christian IV’s castle complex with Staldgaden in the older complex of his father Frederik II on the first castle islet. The architect was Hans Steenwinckel, who with this special, beautifully sweeping bridge solved the difficult task of linking the two complexes by smoothly merging their different axes.

The S-bridge, which replaced an older, straight bridge from 1562, has fieldstone foundations and is designed as an arched bridge with three barrel arches. It was originally covered with sandstone like the balustrade, and the bridge paving was granite. Towards the Gate Tower, the bridge may have had a drawbridge.

In 1772, the 150-year-old S-bridge was in need of repair, and C.F. Harsdorff, a member of the "Overbygningsdirektionen", succeeded in preventing the bridge being converted into a straight bridge. Instead, it was realised in granite ashlars with four arches and the beautiful wrought iron balustrade, which had been added in 1686 under Frederik V and which is still preserved.