VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
Amalienborg palace is the official winter residence of Danish royalty, built from 1749-1755. King Frederick V commissioned a set of palaces to the court architect Nicolai Eigtved to commemorate the tercentenary of the Oldenburg family's ascent to the throne of Denmark (in 1743). This set of palaces was Eigtved’s chief masterpiece, but the architect died before completing construction.
Amalienborg is a regular octagon: four identical palaces sit across from each other in an octagon-shaped area. The palaces are different on the inside, with the rococo style dominating interior decorations. A statue of Frederick V by French sculptor Georges Saly is located in the middle of the square. Saly was then very popular in Europe, and he asked for his work as much money as was used to build all four palaces, yet remained convinced that he had been underpaid. His work was paid for by the Asian Trade Company.
Facing the waterfront, to the right is Christian IX’s Palace, the official residence of Queen Margrethe II and Prince Consort Henrik. The Danish flag is raised over the palace whenever the royal family is at home. Christian IX’s Palace is followed by the official reception palace, whose upper façade is decorated with the Order of the Elephant, Denmark’s highest order. Prince Menshikov, Peter the Great’s confidant, was the first Russian to receive it. The next palace is a museum of the ruling Glücksburg dynasty and the residence of the crown prince Frederik and his spouse, crown princess Mary. Most of the time, the couple lives in the Fredensborg Palace in the north of Zealand. The ensemble is completed by a palace owned by Margrethe II’s mother, Queen Ingrid, who died in late 2000. The royal chancellery is also located here.
Each day at noon, a company of the Imperial Guard, dressed in ancient uniforms, conducts a changing of the guard. The soldiers wear blue uniforms dating back to 1801 and fur hats originally given by the Russian Emperor Alexander III to his Danish father-in-law, Christian IX.
