Jægerspris Castle sits on the Hornsherred peninsula in North Zealand, a short distance from Frederikssund and the shores of Roskilde Fjord. One of Denmark's oldest royal residences, its origins reach back to the medieval period, when a fortified house known as Abrahamstrup stood on the site. Over the centuries the estate passed through the hands of kings, and it is above all remembered as the beloved home of King Frederik VII and his morganatic wife, Countess Danner. Today the castle is a museum, and its royal apartments have been preserved much as the couple left them in the mid-nineteenth century, with furniture, portraits, and personal belongings that evoke their unconventional life together. Frederik VII, the last of Denmark's absolute monarchs and the king who signed the country's first free constitution in 1849, spent his summers here, indulging his passion for archaeology and antiquities. After his death, Countess Danner used the estate to found a charitable institution for poor and orphaned girls, a foundation that still exists today. Her tomb lies in the surrounding park. That park is one of the castle's great treasures. Laid out in the Romantic style, it is dotted with more than fifty sandstone memorial columns designed by the sculptor Johannes Wiedewelt in the eighteenth century, each commemorating a notable figure from Danish history. Ancient burial mounds, venerable trees, and winding paths make it a place for quiet wandering in every season. Visitors can tour the historic rooms, learn about nineteenth-century royal life and the remarkable story of the countess who rose from humble beginnings, and explore the grounds. Jægerspris offers a rare and intimate encounter with Denmark's past — regal, personal, and set amid beautiful countryside.
