Editing Amalienborg (section)

==History==
===The first palaces on the site===
{{See also|Sophie Amalienborg}}
[[Image:Sophie Amalienborg (1740 painting).jpg|thumb|[[Sophie Amalienborg]], gouache by [[Johan Jacob Bruun]] (1740)]]
The [[Frederiksstaden]] district was built on the former grounds of two other palaces. The first palace was called [[Sophie Amalienborg]]. It was built by Queen [[Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg|Sophie Amalie]], consort to [[Frederick III of Denmark|Frederick III]], on part of the land which her father-in-law [[Christian IV of Denmark|Christian IV]] had acquired outside of Copenhagen's old walled city, now known as the [[Indre By]] district, in the early 17th century when he had been king. Other parts of the land were used for [[Rosenborg Castle]], [[Nyboder]], and the new Eastern fortified wall around the old city.

It included a garden, a replacement for the "Queen's Garden" which had been located beyond the city's western gate ''Vesterport'', an area today known as [[Vesterbro, Copenhagen|Vesterbro]], and which had been destroyed under [[Assault on Copenhagen (1659)|siege from Sweden in 1659]].

Work on the garden began in 1664, and the castle was built from 1669 to 1673. The King died in 1670, and the [[Queen Dowager]] lived there until her death on February 20, 1685.

Four years later on April 15, 1689, Sophie Amalie's son [[Christian V of Denmark|Christian V]]  celebrated his forty-fourth birthday at the palace with the presentation of a [[Opera in German|German opera]], perhaps the first opera presentation in Denmark, in a specially-built temporary theatre. The presentation was a great success, and it was repeated a few days later on April 19. However, immediately after the start of the second performance a stage decoration caught fire, causing the theatre and the palace to burn to the ground, and about 180 people died.

The King planned to rebuild the palace, whose church, Royal Household and garden buildings were still intact. [[Ole Rømer]] headed the preparatory work for the rebuilding of Amalienborg in the early 1690s. In 1694, the King negotiated a deal with the Swedish building master [[Nicodemus Tessin the Younger]], who spent some time in Copenhagen that summer reviewing the property. His drawing and model were completed in 1697. The King, however, found the plans too ambitious and instead began tearing down the existing buildings that same year, with the reclaimed building materials used to build a new Garrison Church.

The second Amalienborg was built by [[Frederick IV of Denmark|Frederick IV]] at the beginning of his reign. The second Amalienborg consisted of a summerhouse, a central pavilion with [[orangery|orangeries]], and arcades on both side of the pavilion. On one side of the buildings was a French-style garden, and on the other side were military drill grounds. The pavilion had a dining room on the groundfloor. On the upper floor was a salon with a view out to the harbour, the garden and the drill grounds.

===Development of Frederiksstaden by Frederick V===
Amalienborg is the centrepiece of [[Frederiksstaden]], a district that was launched by King Frederick V to commemorate in 1748 the tercentenary of the [[House of Oldenburg|Oldenburg family's]] ascent to the throne of Denmark, and in 1749 the tercentenary of the [[coronation]] of [[Christian I of Denmark]]. This development is generally thought to have been the brainchild of Danish [[Ambassador]] [[Plenipotentiary]] in Paris, [[Johann Hartwig Ernst, Count von Bernstorff]]. Heading the project was [[Lord High Steward]] [[Adam Gottlob Moltke]], one of the most powerful and influential men in the country, with [[Nicolai Eigtved]] as royal architect and supervisor.<ref name=ref1>[http://copenhagenet.dk/CPH-Amalienborg.htm The Danish Monarchy & Amalienborg] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206042443/http://copenhagenet.dk/CPH-Amalienborg.htm |date=2012-02-06 }} - In and Around Copenhagen and Denmark - Copenhagenet.dk. Retrieved 16 February 2012.</ref>

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.
[[File:Moltkes Palais 1756 by de Lode.jpg|thumb|right|Moltke's Palace in 1756]]

===As a royal residence===
When the Royal Family found themselves homeless after the [[Christiansborg Palace (1st)|Christiansborg Palace]] fire of 1794, the palaces were empty for long periods throughout the year, with the exception of the Brockdorff Palace, which housed the [[Royal Danish Naval Academy|Naval Academy]]. The noblemen who owned them were willing to part with their mansions for promotion and money, and the Moltke and Schack Palaces were acquired in the course of a few days.<ref name=ref1 /> Since that date successive royal family members have lived at Amalienborg as a [[royal residence]] and kings have lent their names to the four palaces; [[Moltke's Palace|Christian VII's Palace]], Christian VIII's Palace, [[Brockdorff's Palace|Frederik VIII's Palace]] and Christian IX's Palace.

A colonnade, designed by royal architect [[Caspar Frederik Harsdorff]], was added in 1794–1795 to connect the recently occupied King's palace, Moltke Palace, with that of the Crown Prince, Schack's Palace.

On the morning of 9 April 1940, the day of the [[German invasion of Denmark (1940)|German invasion of Denmark]] during [[World War II]], Amalienborg palace was the site of an hour-long firefight between the [[Royal Life Guards (Denmark)|Danish Royal Life Guards]] and the 2nd Battalion of 308th Infantry Regiment of the [[198th Infantry Division (Wehrmacht)|German 198th Infantry Division]]. The firefight ended after [[Christian X of Denmark]] called for a ceasefire to spare his country from destruction.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |author=Dildy |first=Douglas C. |title=Denmark and Norway 1940: Hitler's Boldest Operation |publisher=Osprey Publishing |year=2007 |isbn=9781846031175 |location=Oxford |pages=36}}</ref>