The refurbishment of Frederik VIII’s Palace

In the spring of 2004, the Danish Parliament’s Finance Committee approved the commencement of the interior and exterior refurbishment of Frederik VIII’s Palace with a view to using the palace in the future as a residence for Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince and Crown Princess and later on as a Royal Palace. In the following years, the palace was extensively restored and renewed to provide a modern, well-functioning setting for administrative functions and official receptions alike – and as a private residence for the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.

Construction programme

The scope of the interior refurbishment project was laid down in a construction programme prepared by the Palaces and Properties Agency in dialogue with the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. Arkitema A/S was the design-and-build consultant for the Agency in connection with interior restoration of the palace. Other consultants included the Rambøll engineering company and Erik Einar Holms Tegnestue which provided architectural assistance relating to the refurbishment.

Schedule

The refurbishment of roof, facades and windows was completed in late 2008. The restoration and foundation work on the side wings was completed in the autumn of 2009, and the handover ceremony for the interior refurbishment project was held in December 2009. The palace was subsequently open to the public from 27 February to 8 August 2010. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess took up residence in the palace shortly afterwards.

Interior décor and materials

From the outset, the interior décor of the palace, the materials chosen, etc., were decided on in dialogue with the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, as stipulated in the document approved by the Danish Parliament’s Finance Committee in 2004. Special consideration was shown to the original palace whose exterior is a beautiful, unique example of Rococo architecture. The Heritage Agency of Denmark was closely involved in the project.