Fredericksborg Castle

Last Sunday, I went on a DIS trip to Fredericksborg Castle in Hillerød, Denmark. This castle was built by Christian IV as a hunting castle. In 1859 much of the castle was burned in a fire. The people of Denmark were so upset by this fire that they raised money to restore it. The restorations were mainly funded by J. C. Jacobsen of the Carlsberg brewery. It was then decided that the Fredericksborg Castle would house the Museum of National History which follows Danish history from 1500 to the present.

The castle was beautiful. The ceilings were unbelievable. They were intricately carved. I do not think there was a plain surface in the entire castle. At the time when this castle was built people actually hated bare walls so any surface that wasn't elaborately carved were covered by tapestries.

Our guide also told us something interesting. At royal banquets and parties no guest was allowed to leave under any circumstance while the king was still seated, not even to use the bathroom. The only way you could leave the room is if you were so drunk that someone else had to carry you out. They guide also told us that the rules have to changes much and no one is allowed to leave the royal table until the Queen leaves.

The day we went to the castle was a beautiful day. It was freezing cold but the sun actually made an appearance in the sky for a few hours which was exactly what we all needed after about 2 weeks of dreary gray skies.