Bernstorff family The palace was designed by the French architect
Nicolas-Henri Jardin, who had been brought to Denmark to complete
Frederick's Church in Copenhagen after the death of
Nicolai Eigtved in 1754. It is one of the earliest examples of
Neoclassical architecture in Denmark. The elaborately decorated two-storeyed building was completed in May 1765 at considerable cost. At the time, it had four small decorative garrets, attics with decorative vases and a wide balcony on the roof ridge itself. On the garden side, there is a
dome-covered projection rising the full height of the building. The palace's many rooms were modest in size and intended primarily for domestic use rather than for display. Most are panelled with parquet floors, large mirrors and decorated ceilings. The four rooms on the south side have overdoors decorated by
Johan Edvard Mandelberg. Bernstorff left Denmark in 1770, after being dismissed by the regent,
Johann Friedrich Struensee. The estate remained in his family's hands until 1812.
Changing owners, 18121842 In 1812, Bernstorff Palace was sold for 225,000
rigsdaler to Ole Christian Borch. The next year, he sold it for 280,000 rigsdaler to royal president, later
gehejmestats- og justitsminister Frederik Julius Kaas. In 1817, Kaas sold Bernstorff Palace to
Christopher MacEvoy Jr., a wealthy plantation owner from the
Danish West Indies, who shortly thereafter also bought the
Dehn Mansion in Copenhagen. He had the park redesigned in the English garden style. At the time of his death in 1838, Bernstorff Palace had fallen into neglect. Most of the land remained in the hands of the Bernstorff family until 1839 when it was sold to
krigsassessor Peter Hilarius Ferdinand Kalko. That same year, at auction, he also purchased Bernstorff Palace for 25,850 rigsdaler. Kalko's intention was to demolish the main building but this plan was never realized.
Royal ownership, 18421939 :Bernstorff Palace in 1867 The Bernstorff Palace was about to be demolished in 1842 when
Christian VIII bought it and charged
Jørgen Hansen Koch with its comprehensive renovation. A mezzanine was added and the layout of the first-floor rooms was changed. Fitting Jardin's decorative style, Norwegian marble fireplaces are to be found in three of the larger rooms. A sign above the entrance reads: "Honesto inter labores otio sacrum" or "Reserved for honest rest between periods of work." In 1854, Bernstorff Palace was placed at the disposal of
Crown Prince Christian, later King Christian IX, who adopted it as his preferred summer residence. Indeed, it was to become a popular retreat for the royal couple and their extended family during the king's long reign. Visitors included
Tsar Alexander III of Russia and
Edward VII of the United Kingdom. In 1888, after the
Nordic Exhibition,
Queen Louise bought the timbered Swedish pavilion and had it fitted out as guest quarters. On Christian IX's death in 1906,
Prince Valdemar of Denmark inherited the palace, continuing to use it as a summer residence until his death in 1939.
Princess Margaret of Denmark, Prince Valdemar's youngest child, was born at Bernstorff Palace.
Recent history Afterwards, it was used by the
Danish Emergency Management Agency as an academy for non-commissioned officers. On 1 May 2009, after an agreement with Gitte Jensen and Kirsten Nielsen, Bernstorff Palace opened as a hotel and conference centre. ==The palace gardens==