Ruinerne under Christiansborg — Attraction in Copenhagen Municipality

We visited The Ruins Under Christiansborg in June 2024, one day after our visit to the Royal Reception Rooms at the same location (different entrance). We learned that these ruins were discovered when building the castle on top of it. It included the important protection walls against pirates coming from the sea. In other words, this is where it (Copenhagen) all started. The oldest parts date back from 1167.

One of the more prominent remains was the base of the Blue Tower, where prisoners were held. One princess sat there for even 22 years, because of her descent from the previous (overturned) dynasty and hence accused of high treason. Contrary to other prisoners held there, she had a relatively reasonable room.

Subsequent kings expanded the castle over and over again, in a continuous attempt to enlarge their “footprint” and to impress everyone with their achievements. The castle grew and grew to the extent that it was about to collapse, until the moment that it was decided to tear it down and rebuild the whole thing from the ground up.

Above our head was a standard (concrete) ceiling with rails for lighting and other contemporary infrastructure. The floor was a bit uneven but not overly difficult for people with normal walking abilities.

Our Copenhagen Discover Card was accepted without any hassle. There were no waiting times to enter the ruins. Given that we got free access, I cannot comment on the value-for-money aspect...

This did not really do anything for me. You get to see some of the stones of the original castles, which is a little interesting. To try and jazz it up a bit, you learn stories about how previous inhabitants were impacted by witchcraft. The props to support this were not great, and it got a bit repetitive. There was a small souvenir shop and toilets in this area. You could leave your bag in the lockers, but it was equally okay to take it in with you. You can buy a ticket for access to all areas, or one for this area. Check the closing times as each area closes at a different time. It is worth visiting if you have a combined ticket, but it is not worth buying an individual ticket. The area is darkly lit, and the floor is uneven. There was an area which you could only access by stairs. There was a lifting platform to the museums ticket area, souvenir shop, and main museum area for...

Hopefully, you've read the reviews so you know what to expect. Some folk have been disappointed in the lack of in depth information on Bishop Absalon's Castle and the Christiansborg Castle that the palace had been built upon.

Whilst there is some information on this, and various sections of wall unearthed, the focus down here is very much on the prisoners held in the 15th Century, many of whom were witches, and the fascination in witchcraft that people of the day had.

So the expectation should be to head down and learn about witches in Medieval Copenhagen and gain a wee bit of knowledge on the ruined castles underneath at the same time.

I enjoyed it, and so did...