The gardens of Denmark developed under similar
conditions to those of Sweden. Very little has remained of those
that lay around the proud castles of the Renaissance, and the ones
that show most traces of the period are the gardens of Frederiksborg at Copenhagen (Fig. 520).
FIG. 520 . FREDERIKSBORG, COPENHAGEN—GROUND-PLAN
|
The front courts and castle buildings are on three islands
connected by bridges, at the side of which is a small parterre,
also on an island. The chief garden reaches to the north bank of
the lake, and because of this situation has renounced all
allegiance to a connected ground-plan, though the house does stand
in the central axis-line. The arrangement of the parterre, which
has a canal going out from it and cutting through the boskets,
certainly belongs to the seventeenth century. The plan of the
castle of Hirschholm is like this, and stands on
islands which are joined by bridges upon a lake. Both house and
parterres follow an axial line upon the islands, and are shut in by
groves round the bank (Fig. 521).
FIG. 521. . HIRSCHHOLM, DENMARK - GROUND-PLAN
|
FIG. 522. FREDENSBORG, DENMARK - GROUND-PLAN OF THE GARDENS
|
A typical castle of the French kind is Fredensborg (Fig. 522), which was built to
commemorate the Peace between Sweden and Denmark. The garden and
park are now the best in Denmark. The castle lies high above the
Essommer Lake, and its grounds reach down on the left side of the
building, on the east. The garden is in many respects like Hampton
Court, but its semicircular parts are united with its buildings in
a more original way. There is an octagonal court, and in front of
the garden there are seven avenues passing like rays into the park,
but first leaving room for a semicircular parterre, and to the
right and left for two boskets enclosed by hedges. A semicircular
avenue of limes passes round this decorative place, and makes an
outside border for the avenues, The middle walk has four rows of
trees like Versailles, and a wide view over lawns with statues on
them. Instead of the canal cutting across here, there is the
shining Essommer Lake to help the view. It forms the end and point
de vue of the western avenues, which all wend their way to the
water.
Next
Previous
|