The Royal Stables at Christiansborg Castle is an extensive stable located in the buildings around the riding arena at Christiansborg Castle on Slotsholmen in Copenhagen.
In the castle there was a large team of horses, and thus, a large stables. Equestrian teams - still exists with the number of horses used in the Royal House Stable Agency . Other parts have been converted into a museum of carriages with old horse carriages. Finally, some parts have been converted for other purposes, such as offices and garages for cars of the royal family.
Royal Stables in Copenhagen Castle
Back in the 16th century behind the Copenhagen Castle there was a large zigzag-shaped stables, which housed royal horses and a park of carriages. In 1590, a foreign traveler counted 52 horses in the stables.
At the time of Christian V, who was interested in horses, at the end of the 17th century, there were around. There were 170 horses and 152 employees in the Royal Stables Agency. From the castle there was direct access to the stables along a long corridor, and the king came here daily.
That is why Frederick IV initiated in the years after his accession to the throne in 1699 a major reconstruction of the stables, which led to a rectangular riding arena surrounded by new buildings of the stables and wagon depot.
In addition to the stables themselves, a magnificent baroque building was built near Frederiksholm Canal in 1703-1705, which was to serve as a home for the stables and staff of the Royal Stables. The Staldmestergården still exists to this day, and today it houses the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Church Affairs.
The Royal Stables at Cristiansborg Castle
Shortly after his accession to the throne in 1730, King Christian VI took thфe initiative to demolish the outdated castle of Copenhagen in order to make way for a new luxurious Baroque castle, which could be a worthy foundation for the autocratic monarchy: the first castle of Christiansborg. As a result, the old stables behind the Copenhagen Castle were demolished to make room for a new, larger stables. Meanwhile, many horses of the Stables Agency were placed in the castles of Frederiksberg , Charlottenborg and Rosenborg .
The new and still existing stable facility was built 1738 - 1745 by architects Elias David Häusser and Nikolai Eitveda. It included an outdoor riding arena and an indoor riding house, while most of the first floor buildings around the arena were equipped with stables for 87 riding horses and 165 horses. Parts of this barn are still standing with its extravagant equipment - marble columns and marble beds.
The stock of horses reached its peak in 1789, when 270 horses were placed in Christiansborg. During the 20th century horses were gradually displaced by cars, and today almost 20 horses are kept in the Royal Stables.
