North Zealand boasts some of Denmark’s most magical gardens and luckily, most of them are open to the public. By visiting these gardens you are able to wander around where the country’s Kings and Queens once walked – and in some cases still do. Explore the best gardens in North Zealand with our handy guide.
Frederiksborg Castle is quite the spectacle in its own right, but if you omit a visit to the splendid gardens surrounding it you’ll certainly miss some of its glory. The baroque-style garden that visitors see nowadays at Frederiksborg Castle was restored in the 1990s based on the initial design that Johan Cornelius Krieger made for Frederick IV in the early 1720s. Built in a symmetrical way, the garden extends in front of the castle’s facade, featuring a magnificent fountain as its centrepiece. At the left of the baroque garden another beautiful, this time romantic English-inspired, garden unfurls.
Fredensborg Palace’s garden is around 300 acres and is one of the largest in Denmark. J.C. Krieger is the man behind the original design but since the 1760s, the garden has been altered based on the kings’ and queens’ desires. In 1995 the royal family added an orangery where tender plants and flowers are cultivated while the French baroque element is still visible. Neoclassical sculptures and 68 sandstone figures of Norwegian and Faroese farmers and fishermen turn the gardens into an outdoor art gallery. Although Queen Margrethe still uses the palace as a spring and autumn residence, the palace garden is open to the public for free all year round. For Fredensborg’s vegetable garden and orangery, an admission fee is required.
Charlottenlund Palace’s garden was originally built in the baroque style but in 1880 it was transformed to the romantic English-style landscape garden you see today. These majestic gardens were open to the public in the 19th century and locals visit Charlottenlund for a relaxing Sunday walk among trees and colourful flowers.
Karen Blixen’s house, also known as Rungstedlund in the north of Copenhagen, is surrounded by 14 acres of land that consist of the orchard and the flower garden, a bird sanctuary and a grove filled with beech trees, some of which are 300 years old. Under one of these beech trees at the foot of Ewald’s Hill (a hill that took its name after the writer Johannes Ewald) is Blixen’s final resting place. Both the house, which has now been transformed into a museum, and the peaceful garden are open to visitors all year round.
Initially landscaped as a baroque-style garden to complement Hørsholm Palace in the 18th century, the Hørsholm Palace Garden has been gradually renovated and partially restored in accordance with its original design, giving visitors a glimpse of its former glory. A wheelchair-accessible 1.5-kilometer (0.93-mile) path that runs through the garden takes guests for a walk around the erstwhile summer residence of King Christian VII that used to stand tall on a tiny island in the middle of a lake. Despite the palace being demolished in the early 19th century, the view of the elegant Hørsholm Church that stands in its place will surely compensate visitors who get there.
There are many reasons to visit the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art and the Sculpture Park is definitely one of them. Art, architecture and nature blend together with Øresund Strait in the background completing the already picturesque scenery. Some of the 60 sculptures of the garden are in plain sight while others adorn the garden’s hidden corners, inviting visitors to discover them.
Forming a rather extraordinary little neighbourhood, the round gardens in Naerum consist of 40 separate oval gardens framed by thick hedges and interlinked by lawn-covered walking paths. All credit for this brilliant design goes to C.Th. Sørensen who came up with the idea back in 1948. The garden is inspired by the residential allotment scheme that played a major part in Germany’s urban planning at the time. The gardens are still well-preserved to this day, offering a lovely view to visitors who choose to stroll among them.
