- The view
THE VIEW
‘The view’ is the viewing platform and the highest level you can visit at the tower. It provides you with a magnificent, panoramic view of Copenhagen. The viewing platform is situated at a height of 44 metres and has a maximum capacity of 50 people at a time.
Visiting the viewing platform is free of charge but it may be necessary to wait to come up (and down) in the lift. Read more about access, opening hours and other practical information at taarnet.dk/info.
You can just visit the viewing platform or combine a visit with a meal in the restaurant. Please note that the restaurant is very popular so it is a good idea to book a table in advance. Read more about the restaurant at taarnet.dk/restaurant.
If you take photos from the viewing platform, use the hashtag #taarnet, when you post them on social media such as Instagram and Facebook.
- The History
THE HISTORY
The tower was constructed as part of the third, and present-day, Christiansborg Palace, which was built during the period 1907-1928. Like the rest of the palace, it was designed by architect Thorvald Jørgensen but the plans for the tower were changed several times due, among other things, to a budget overrun. This meant that some of the decorative elements had to be cut back so there was only one crown on top of the tower when the palace was completed in 1928.
It was only in 1934 that two more crowns were added. The initiative for this was taken by the then Minister for the Interior, Bertel Dahlgaard, who felt that, with only one crown, the tower looked too much like the one on top of the railway station at Korsør. With the addition of the two crowns, mounted on what is known as a gable spire, the tower became higher than the tower on top of Copenhagen City Hall. At a height of 106 metres, the tower on Christiansborg Palace is still the highest tower in Copenhagen – 40 centimetres higher than the city hall tower.
The three crowns are also a symbol of the Kalmar Union, the historical alliance between Denmark, Norway and Sweden that lasted from 1397 to 1523. In addition to the crowns, the gable spire on the tower is decorated with a cross, indicating that Denmark is a Christian country, and a weather vane. The spire also contains eight figures created by sculptor Axel Locher. They are 3.1 metres tall, made of copper and include a fisherman and a farmer as representatives of the country’s most important occupations.
Renovation of the roof
The tower is made of reinforced concrete with a granite-clad facade and a tiled roof. After a national collection in 1937, the tiles were replaced with copper cladding. An inspection of the cladding and the underlying reinforced concrete at the beginning of the new millennium revealed that they were in such poor condition that a radical renovation was necessary. The renovation took place between 2006-2009.
After the renovation, the roof is copper-brown in colour, but the wind and the weather over the next 20 years will cause it to become coated with verdigris and return it to its characteristic green colour. The new copper cladding is expected to remain intact for about 100 years.
- The Palace
THE PALACE
With its tower as a distinctive landmark, Christiansborg Palace can be seen from a great distance – it rises above the houses in central Copenhagen and occupies a prominent location in the city. Where Christiansborg Palace lies, there have been many different buildings down through the years. First, a bishop’s castle, then a castle with a prison keep and three different versions of Christiansborg Palace. The third, and present-day, Christiansborg Palace was built during the period 1907-1928.
Today, the Danish Parliament has most of the palace rooms at its disposal, including the tower. The Prime Minister’s Office and the Supreme Court are also housed at Christiansborg. Over and above this, parts of the palace are at the disposal of the royal house. Queen Margrethe uses the Royal Reception Rooms at Christiansborg for official arrangements, such as state dinners, the New Year’s levée and audiences. Each part of the palace has its own entrance and it is not normally possible to move between the various parts indoors.
The Danish Parliament
You can also visit other parts of Christiansborg Palace when you visit the Tower. You can go on a conducted tour of the Danish Parliament. Conducted tours take place on Sundays, public holidays and school holidays. A guide will show you around and you can see the Lobby, the Landsting Hall, the Constitutional Acts and the Chamber. Tours are free of charge and can be booked in advance at ft.dk. You can also collect tickets on the day at the Visitors’ Entrance.
Read more about The Danish Parliament at thedanishparliament.dk.
Other sights to see in the palace
In addition to visiting the tower and the Danish Parliament, Christiansborg Palace is a treasure-house of tapestries, chandeliers, underground ruins, golden coaches and snow-white horses. Read more about the other attractions at the palace at Christiansborg.dk:
The ruins beneath Christiansborg
- Pigeons in the Tower
PIGEONS IN THE TOWER
Pigeons in the Tower is a site-specific installation in the Tower at Christiansborg Castle, created by the artist Eva Koch in 2015.
The tower room of Christiansborg Palace has always been used as a box room. Things piled up in here over the years and time stood still. When the Tower was built in 1918 it was open to the heavens, which made it popular with the city’s pigeons until it was finally roofed over.
Eva Koch envisaged the room as it was originally – a storage room – and has brought the pigeons back. So here they are, all the various breeds that have lived in the tower over the years. Pigeons are the link that bind different eras together. There have always been pigeons in the city, generation of children have awoken to their soft cooing, have seen the flocks gather over the square and take to the air with a clatter.
The pigeons is the oldest knowns tame bird and has been used as a message carrier for centuries. Its Danish name ‘due’ originates from the ancient Norse ‘dúfa’.
Pigeons live in the wild, but they are also found in myths, our collective memories, poems and images.
WELCOME TO TÅRNET
From the tower you can see Copenhagen from a completely new angle. You can see streets, building and details that you have probably never noticed. You can see roofs and towers and all the way to Sweden on a clear day.
The view from the tower of Christiansborg Palace is unique and magnificent – Copenhagen’s highest tower, which is now open to the public, for the very first time. The tower is the property of the Danish Parliament, whose Members took the initiative to open it – for the pleasure of all those who live in or are visiting Copenhagen.
A visit to the tower is free of charge and it is open every day (except Mondays). You can find more practical information at taarnet.dk/info.
In addition to enjoying the view, you can also give yourself a culinary experience in Restaurant Tårnet, which is run by the recognised restaurateur Rasmus Bo Bojesen. Please note that the restaurant is very popular so it is a good idea to book a table in advance. Read more about the restaurant, see the menu and book a table at taarnet.dk/restaurant.
And remember to use the hashtag #taarnet when you post your photos from the tower on social media such as Instagram and Facebook.
