Amalienborg is the home of the Danish royal family, and is located in Copenhagen. It consists of four identical classical palace façades with rococo interiors around an octagonal courtyard. The four palaces are: Christian VII's Palace, originally known as Moltke's Palace; Christian VIII's Palace, originally known as Levetzau's Palace; Frederick VIII's Palace, originally known as Brockdorff's Palace; Christian IX's Palace, originally known as Schack's Palace.
The first palace on the site was Sophie Amalienborg, built between 1669 and 1673 by Queen Sophie Amalie, consort to Frederick III, which burnt in 1689. The second Amalienborg was built by Frederick IV at the beginning of his reign. Amalienborg is the centrepiece of Frederiksstaden, a district that was built by King Frederick V to commemorate in 1748 the tercentenary of the Oldenburg family's ascent to the throne of Denmark, and in 1749 the tercentenary of the coronation of Christian I of Denmark.
The project consisted of four identical mansions, built to house four distinguished families of nobility from the royal circles, placed around an octagonal square. These mansions (now called Palaces) form the modern palace of Amalienborg, albeit much modified over the years. When Christiansborg Palace burned in 1794, the royal family bought the palaces and moved in. Over the years various kings and their families have resided in the four different palaces.
In the centre of the square is a monumental equestrian statue of Amalienborg's founder, King Frederick V, made by French sculptor Jacques-Francois-Joseph Saly, and unveiled in 1771. The Amalie Garden (Amaliehaven) is located between the waterfront and Amalienborg Slotsplads. Established in 1983, it was a gift from the A.P. Møller and Chastine McKinney Møller Foundation to the citizens of Copenhagen. The two-level garden was designed by Belgian architect Jean Delogne.
About the stamp
The stamp is part of a set of four definitive postage stamps, depicting Queen Margrethe II, about which I wrote here.
References
Amalienborg - Wikipedia
Sender: Krystyna Betiuk (direct swap)
Sent from Copenhagen (Capital Region / Denmark), on 05.06.2016
Photo: Yen Beat
Behind the Amalienborg palaces on the other side of the canal you can see the building of Copenhagen Opera House.
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