Christiansborg Palace (2nd)

The second Christiansborg Palace stood in Copenhagen, Denmark, on the island of Slotsholmen, serving as a replacement for the original structure destroyed by fire in 1794. Commissioned by King Christian VII and designed by the royal master builder Christian Frederik Hansen, construction began in 1803. The project faced significant delays due to the Napoleonic Wars and a national bankruptcy in 1813, ultimately taking twenty-five years to complete. Finished in 1828 at a cost of one million Rigsdaler, the building was executed in the Neoclassical style, specifically reflecting French Empire influences, and was erected upon the surviving foundations and walls of its predecessor.

Despite its grandeur, the palace had a brief life as a royal residence. Upon completion, King Frederick VI preferred his temporary home at Amalienborg Palace and utilized the new building primarily for entertainment purposes. Consequently, King Frederik VII remains the only monarch to have actually lived within its walls, residing there from 1852 to 1863. The site holds profound historical significance as the focal point for Denmark's transition from absolute monarchy to democracy. In 1849, following public gatherings at the palace, the Danish Constitution was adopted, and the king ceded chambers to the new Parliament, Rigsdagen, which began holding sessions there in 1850.

The second Christiansborg Palace met the same fate as the first when it burned down in October 1884. While the main residential quarters were lost, Hansen's Chapel, the court theatre, and the showgrounds survived the blaze, having also withstood the earlier fire of 1794. Today, the site is occupied by the third and current Christiansborg Palace, built in the early twentieth century in a neo-baroque style. Although the second palace no longer stands, its legacy endures through the surviving structures and its pivotal role in establishing the Danish parliamentary system.