Many of Denmark’s royal castles are still residences used by the Danish Royal. Situated in the middle of Copenhagen is Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II’s winter residence, Amalienborg, with its four, almost identical Rococo palaces surrounding the monumental castle courtyard. Two of the palaces are partially open to the public.

North Zealand is home to the beautiful Fredensborg Palace where the royal family resides during the summer. The palace itself is usually open during the month of July. Other royal castles today serve other purposes – housing public institutions, the Danish government and parliament, museums, etc.

The castles were often bastions of royal power, strategically positioned for defence against enemies. Enemies came from the south, where the impressive fortress of Koldinghus stands close to the old border with Germany, or from the east, where Kronborg in Helsingør (Elsinore) guards the mouth of the Sound. Today Kronborg is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

In addition to Denmark’s royal castles, the many castles and manor houses of the nobility lie like gems in the most scenic of settings. Here every style of architectural history is represented, from the severity of the medieval fort, through Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo and French to a merry mixture of them all. These impressive residences recount the story of Denmark’s history, its culture, its architecture and not least its family histories, since in many cases the estates have been in the same family for centuries.

For centuries the Danish castles stood as residences and power bases for the royal houses, nobility and a narrow élite. At the same time, they provided sanctuaries for great Danish artists, who were invited to take up residence and given a gracious setting for their work. The writer Hans Christian Andersen and the composer Carl Nielsen were frequent guests at Danish castles and manor houses.

In earlier times the wrought-iron gates were locked and the great oak doors were thereby closed to the public, but today more than 50 castles and manor houses have opened their doors to visitors, and have formed the society, Danish Castles & Manor Houses. Out of the 50 or so castles and manor houses, more than 20 now provide accommodation with the fascinating cachet of nobility and heritage. A stay at one of the Danish castles or manor houses is a journey into Denmark’s history. Guests sleep in four-poster beds with stately interiors, in great halls beneath old vaulted ceilings and take strolls in exquisite grounds.

A large number of Danish castles open their gates to stately grounds or grand halls displaying the finest collections of art or antiques. Indeed, many castles are now entirely given over to their status as museums. And it would be difficult to imagine a more atmospheric setting for concerts, exhibitions and cultural happenings than the many Danish castles and manor houses which, over the year, provide halls and castle gardens for such events.