Charlottenborg Palace

The palace is a four-winged building of three storeys arranged around an enclosed courtyard, reflecting a layout inspired by late 17th-century northern European palaces. The overall appearance combines Dutch Baroque massing with elements drawn from Italian practice, and the structure was raised in brick with decorative stone details; the main façade faces the new square and presents a formal sequence of projecting bays with ornamented rooflines finished by balustrades.

The central projecting bay of the principal front is emphasised by high, flat columns set against the wall, called pilasters, and by an imposing entrance topped by a balcony. The pilasters use the Corinthian order, with capitals bearing elaborate carving, while the doorway itself follows a simpler classical order (Tuscan or Doric) and is set into the main axis. Sandstone was used for façade ornament and for the triangular and segmented window pediments that frame the main windows.

The rear, lower wing reads as three linked pavilions: the central pavilion opens at ground level into an arcade of Tuscan columns, the simpler classical order, with niches above that display sculpted busts. A small lantern crowns the pavilion and is covered in copper, providing a vertical accent to the roofline. The materials combine brick walls with stone dressings, and at least one later extension incorporated bricks salvaged from Kalø Castle in Jutland.

Internally, the plan follows a hierarchy of floors common in grand houses of the period: the principal reception rooms occupy the piano nobile (main floor) and include a banquet hall located above the principal entrance with direct access to the balcony on the front façade. The ground floor has lower ceiling heights, while a second upper floor was used for servant accommodation and has still lower ceilings. Above the arcade in the rear wing there survives a domed Baroque chamber with a decorated stucco ceiling, described as well preserved and remaining in situ.