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Slotsholmen

The archeologists from the Museum of Copenhagen are anticipating a major district heating maintenance of the Slotsholmen (the Castle Islet) with great interest. The fact is that Slotsholmen grounds can reveal important parts of the history of Copenhagen. In this area the city castle was situated in the middle ages, and since the 15th century the Slotsholmen has been the power center of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Excavations from April 2010 till June 2011.

By Sabina Lønskov, Curator, field archaeologist

The many buildings

The city castle normally referred to as the Castle of Absalon was built here in the early Medieval times. It is debated exactly when the founding stone was layed down, but it is for certain that the Lübeckers tore the Castle down to the ground in the mid 14th century. Very soon after this, a new medieval Castle was built on this side with at moat surrounding it. The new castle was called The Castle of Copenhagen and stood more or less redesigned up until the beginning of the 18th century. It was in this castle the famed daughter of King Christian 4th, Leonore Christina, was imprisoned for 22 years in Blaataarn (the Blue Tower).
In 1731 it was decided to tear down the Castle of Copenhagen. The castle did no longer meet the ideals of the day; simply, it was too old, too small and too out of fashion to be the King’s residence. The first Christiansborg - the Christiansborg Palace - with the belonging riding grounds was built instead. Unfortunately, the castle burned to the ground in 1794 and the second Christiansborg was then built in the same place. When this burned too in 1884, it took twenty years before the present and third Christiansborg was built. During the put up of the third Christiansborg, the ruins of the medieval castles of the islet were revealed in 1907. These ruins can be seen by the public below the present Christiansborg.

The Slotsholm in approximately 1400. 1: Slotsholmen 2: Store Skarnholm (the Great Dump Islet) 3: Lille Skarnholm (the Small Dump Islet). Map according to H.U. Ramsing’s reconstruction, the Museum of Copenhagen.

 

Detail from Peder Resens elevated map (1674). Here, it is visible that the Slotsholm has expanded so much, that it has grown into the sorounding Islets; it is now only Frederiksholms Kanal and Slotsholms Kanal, that separates the islet from the mainland.

Growing pains

The Slotsholmen did not always have its present size. Back when the first medieval castle was put here, the area consisted merely of several small islets placed off the Copenhagen coastline, which was then situated along Snaregade, Gammel Strand and Højbro Plads. In those days, you could see Amager from the mainland, as also Christianshavn between Zeeland and Amager is built on many layers of filling by Christian 4th in the 17th century. All in all, the Slotsholmen was considerably enlarged, transforming the original coastline into Frederiksholms Kanal and Slotsholmens Kanal. The archeologists from the Museum of Copenhagen are granted permission to make investigations in the grounds of Slotsholmen in connection with the district heating maintenance operation. Among other things, they will investigate the spreading and filling of the Islet, to hunt down answers to questions regarding the original size of the Slotsholm and to how the area has been made use of up through time. The archeologists hope to find older fieldwork, traces of torn down buildings and other exiting finds, that can cast more light upon the 900-year long history of the Slotsholm.