Gråsten Palace

Gråsten Palace (Danish: Gråsten Slot) is located at Gråsten in the Jutland region of southern Denmark. It is best known for being the summer residence of the Danish Royal Family. The main house has a modern, all-white facade, with Venetian doors opening onto sweeping, manicured lawns and gravel walkways. The grounds include a huge stables court. [1]

Gråsten Palace
Gråsten Palace seen from the courtyard.
General information
TypePalace
Town or cityGråsten
CountryDenmark
The palace seen from the gate.

History

Gråsten was in its first edition a small hunting castle built in the middle of the 16th century. The south wing of the present-day main house is believed to be built on the site of the second structure, that was built in 1603 to replace a hunting lodge which had been destroyed in a fire in the middle of the 16th century.[2] After about three and a half succeeding centuries of ownership by Danish nobles, Gråsten Slot was taken over by the State, extensively restored, and by 1935, it was the summer residence for then-Crown Prince Frederik, later King Frederik IX, and Crown Princess Ingrid, later Queen Ingrid, who adored the palace until her death in November 2000. It is the usual venue for the royal family's official summer photo shoot.

In November 1845, Hans Christian Andersen visited Duke Christian August II at Gråsten Castle. Legend had it that Gråsten Palace was where Andersen wrote The Little Match Girl, during his visit. However that is not the case. Andersen wrote it when he visited Augustenborg Palace.[3]

Landscape and Palace Chapel

The estate area has an area of 6.6 km² (2.5 mile²). The property includes a stables court, manicured lawns, and gravel walkways.

Graasten Palace Chapel in the north wing is the only building remaining from the original baroque palace after a 1757 fire. Despite a badly damaged interior from the Second Schleswig War, the chapel is decorated with 80 paintings. The chapel has bilingual congregations, with German and Danish services to accommodate the mix of local culture.[2] [4]

References
  1. Poul Olsen. "Gråsten Slot". graastenslot.dk. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  2. Gråsten Palace Palaces and Properties Agency
  3. Kaufman, Oryana (14 December 2004). "Where fairytales become real". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  4. "Gråsten Palace Church". Sønderborg Turistbureau. Retrieved August 1, 2020.

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