# Christiansborg Palace (1st)

- **Country:** Denmark

The first Christiansborg Palace was a monumental royal residence located on Slotsholmen in Copenhagen, Denmark. Commissioned by King Christian VI to replace the dilapidated Copenhagen Castle, construction began in 1733 under the guidance of architect Elias David Häusser, with interior work later completed by Nicolai Eigtved. Finished in 1745 at the staggering cost of 2.7 million Rigsdaler, roughly half the state's annual income, the building was designed in the Rococo style. It stood as the largest palace in Northern Europe during its time, featuring 348 rooms intended to house approximately one thousand members of the royal court, serving as a grand symbol of absolute monarchy.

The palace had a relatively short existence, lasting just under fifty years before tragedy struck. On February 26, 1794, a devastating fire originating from an overheated stove near the Grand Hall consumed almost the entire structure. Despite this catastrophic loss, several key components survived the flames, including the Royal Stables, the Court Theatre, and the distinctive Marble Bridge with its pavilions. These surviving elements were historically significant as they were incorporated into the second Christiansborg Palace that subsequently rose on the same site.

Remarkably, the parts that endured the 1794 blaze also survived a second major fire in 1884 that destroyed the second palace. Today, these original fragments remain integral to the current Christiansborg Palace complex. While the main residential quarters of the first palace are long gone, their legacy continues within the modern building that uniquely houses the Danish Parliament, the Supreme Court, and the Prime Minister's Office, linking centuries of Danish political history through the surviving architectural foundations.

![Photo of Christiansborg Palace (1st)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Christiansborg_1761.jpg)

**Source:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christiansborg_Palace_(1st) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)