Christiansborg Palace (1st) 3.8

The first Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark was built on Slotsholmen in 1745 as a new main residence for King Christian VI of Denmark. It was built on the same site as its predecessor, Copenhagen Castle, which had assumed a monstrous appearance and started to crumble under its own weight after several extensions.The palace only existed for just under half a century since it was almost completely destroyed by a fire in 1794. The surviving parts, which included the show grounds, the court theatre and the Marble Bridge with its two pavilions, were incorporated into the second Christiansborg Palace which succeeded it. These parts also survived the fire of 1884 which destroyed the second palace and are now part of the present day Christiansborg Palace which houses both the Danish Parliament, Supreme Court and Prime Minister's Office.HistoryConstruction of the new palaceDemolition of the overextended and antiquated Copenhagen Castle began in 1731 to make room for the new palace which was named Christiansborg after its founder. The king commissioned architect Elias David Häusser to build the new palace.Construction of the magnificent new palace began in 1733. From 1736 the younger architects Lauritz de Thurah and Nicolai Eigtved were put in charge of designing the interior. In 1738 a palace commission was set up to supervise the construction. Work only progressed slowly due to lack of funds and on several occasions threatened to come to a complete standstill. However, by 1740 the main wing was partially ready for use and Christian VI took up residence at a grandiose ceremony on 26 November 1740.