Architecture of the Royal Palace

The Palace was built by the architect Hans Ditlev Franciscus Linstow in the 19th century, during the reigns of Carl III Johan and Oscar I. Linstow was originally educated as a lawyer, but had studied architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen.

The Palace was originally designed as an H-shaped building with a temple front supported by a row of pillars. However, the design had to be simplified because it was too costly.

The decoration of the rooms was begun in 1838, and during this phase Linstow was assisted by the architects Heinrich Ernst Schirmer and Johan Henrik Nebelong. The design of the interiors reflects the successive styles of the first half of the 19th century. One of the leading decorative painters of the time, Peter Fredrik Wergmann, was responsible for the Pompeian decoration of the Family Dining Room and the Banqueting Hall, and the artist Johannes Flintoe decorated the Bird Room.

The Royal Palace has been modernised and upgraded several times in the last 150 years, usually in connection with the advent of a new monarch.

Architects and master craftsmen

Several architects and master craftsmen were attached to the original building project:

The Palace architect: Hans Ditlev Frantz Linstow (1787-1851)

• Christian H. Grosch (Linstow's assistant until 1827)
• Ole Peder Riis Høegh (Linstow's assistant until 1827)
• Heinrich Ernst Schirmer (Linstow's assistant 1838-1841)
• Johan H. Nebelong (Linstow's assistant 1840-1848)

• Carl Abrahamsen, master carpenter
• Andreas Benthien, master carpenter
• Hans Johansen Borge, master carpenter
• Johan Henrik Bøhm, master carpenter
• Pedro Natale Guidotti sr., maker of plaster and stukko plaster
• Daniel Koch, master carpenter
• Chr. H. Malling, master carpenter
• Georg Marcus Nordraach, master painter
• Sebastian Pfützenreuter, master mason
• Jens Conrad Seidelin, master mason
• Peter Christian Frederik Wergmann, master painter
• Jacob Emilius Wunderlich, master painter