Copenhagen Castle by
Frederiksholms Canal.Already in the 16th century, a large zigzag shaped stable complex was located on Slotsholmen behind the
Copenhagen Castle which housed the king's horses and carriages. In 1590, a foreign traveller counted 52 horses in the stables. During the reign of the horse enthusiast
King Christian V at the end of the 17th century there were about 170 horses and 152 staff in the Royal Stables. There was direct access from the castle to the stables by means of a secret passage, and the king was seen there daily. After his accession to the throne in 1699,
King Frederick IV carried out a large reconstruction of the stable complex, leading to a rectangular riding ground surrounded by new stables and carriage house. Furthermore, from 1703 to 1705 he had a new
Baroque building constructed adjacent to
Frederiksholms Canal to house the
Crown Equerry and the staff at the Royal Stables. The Crown Equerry building still exists and today houses the
Ministry of Education and the
Ministry for Ecclesiastical Affairs.
Christiansborg Palace with the Riding Grounds surrounded by the Royal StablesShortly after his accession to the throne in 1730,
King Christian VI had the old and outdated Copenhagen Castle torn down to make way for a new
Baroque palace: the
first Christiansborg Palace. The old stable complex behind Copenhagen Castle was also torn down to make way for a new and larger stable complex. During the construction work, the many horses of the Royal Stables were temporarily stabled at
Frederiksberg Palace,
Charlottenborg Palace and
Rosenborg Castle. The new and still existing stable complex was constructed from 1738 to 1745 by the architects
Elias David Häusser and
Nicolai Eigtved. The new complex included an outdoor riding ground surrounded by buildings containing an
indoor riding arena as well as stables with room for a total of 87 riding horses and 165 carriage horses. Part of these stable buildings still remain unchanged since their inauguration in 1746 with an extravagant decoration of
marble pillars. The number of horses reached a peak in 1789 when 270 horses were stabled at Christiansborg. In the course of the 20th century, the horses were gradually replaced by cars and today about 20 horses are stabled in the Royal Stables. ==Carriage horses==