Visit the Hermitage Hunting Lodge
On a hilltop in Dyrehaven (The Deer Park) lies Christian VI’s Baroque masterpiece, the Hermitage Royal Hunting Lodge.
The Hermitage, which was completed in 1736, was a place that the king would use for respite after a hunt, and where he would entertain distinguished guests to extravagant feasts.
Christian VI built the Hermitage in the Deer Park in the 1730s. Eremitageslottet or Eremitagen is located in Dyrehaven (the Deer Park) north of Copenhagen - check out my Klampenborg Guide for more details of the UNESCO park and its surroundings.
The hunting lodge was built by the architect Lauritz de Thurah in the Baroque style between 1734 to 1736 for Christian VI in order to host royal banquets during royal hunts in Dyrehaven.
It originally featured a hoisting mechanism able to raise the enormous dining table from the basement to the dining room, allowing the King and his guests to dine without any waiters present, or "en ermitage" (in solitude), hence the name.
Down in the basement kitchen, the servants would prepare what the king wanted and lay out the feast on the dining table. At a signal, the fully laid table replete with wine, game and delicatessen would emerge from the floor into the dining hall!
The apparatus was removed in the late 18th century as it was apparently causing endless mechanical problems.
The building is perched on high ground at the centre of the deer park, with commanding views over the ancient oak woodland and down to the Sound (pictured above), which is the water separating Denmark from Sweden.
Walking from Klampenborg and Bakken to the south, most paths lead northwards in the direction of the lodge, so it’s easy to find for newcomers.
The Hermitage has some extravagant Baroque interiors, including a staircase lined with blue-painted, Dutch-style tiles depicting hunting scenes.
Perhaps the most spectacular room is the aforementioned dining room, an Austrian-inspired Baroque masterpiece covered in marble and gold. The stucco ceiling and walls have inlaid mirrors, gold leaf gilding and silver underlay beneath the paint to make the interiors shine.
Private tours of the building’s interiors are available from April 1st until August 31st (for more info visit Kongeligeslotte.dk).
The Baroque dining room, including the marble floor through which the laden dining table used to emerge to the king and his guests. (Credit: Claudejobin)
Later use of the Hermitage Hunting Lodge
In the early 19th century, after the Treaty of Kiel, Frederick VI decided the Dyrehaven should only be used for military exercises.
The Lodge was still in use, but mainly for lunches for the king and officers and no longer a place enjoyed by the rest of the royal family.
When Christian VIII became king in 1839, the hunts resumed. Additionally, the Hermitage became the centre of large, public gatherings, and it was often the site of political negotiations. On 5 June 1849, King Frederik VII signed the new Danish constitution at the Hermitage at 11.15, ending absolute monarchy in Denmark.
Five years later, on 5 June 1854 it was the centre of the first, large celebration of the Constitution of Denmark for which 30,000 people assembled.
The Royal Family still uses the hunting lodge for their hunt lunches in the park, and in 2013 was re-opened by Magrethe II after extensive renovation.
Getting to the Hermitage Hunting Lodge
If you are travelling by train. Go to Klampenborg Station from where it’s an easy 40 minute walk to the The Hermitage. It is possible to rent bikes or hire a horse drawn carriage down by the Bakken theme park ride to the castle.
If you are doing to The Hermitage by car, please note that driving in Dyrehaven is not allowed. You can use the parking at Hjortekær or Trepilehus/P-plads Eremitagesletten.
From there is a 20 – 30 minute walk to the site.