The dome climb
Set times only, and a view lining up Amalienborg and the Opera House.
Jakub Hałun — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jebulon — CC0 · Arild Vågen — CC BY-SA 4.0 · MrBenjo — CC BY-SA 4.0
Its official name is **Frederik's Church**, but nobody calls it anything but the **Marble Church**. Its dome is the largest in Scandinavia, 31 metres across, and it stands on one axis directly facing **Amalienborg Palace**. Its construction is one of the longest-stalled building stories in Europe. The foundation stone was laid in 1749 to a design using expensive **Norwegian marble**. Costs rose until the minister responsible stopped the work in 1770, and the building stood as an **exposed stump for over a hundred and thirty years** — a romantic ruin in the middle of the capital that painters came to paint. A private financier finally bought it, and it was completed in cheaper Danish marble and opened in 1894 — **145 years** after it was begun. Inside, the space under the dome is wider than the exterior suggests, ringed by twelve apostles. In summer the **dome climb** opens at set times, and the view from it lines up Amalienborg and the Opera House in a single axis.
Set times only, and a view lining up Amalienborg and the Opera House.
Far wider than the facade suggests, ringed by twelve apostles.
Church and palace on one deliberately drawn line.
Frederiksgade 4, Copenhagen
Yes, because it is two minutes' walk from **Amalienborg Palace** and the waterfront, so it costs almost no extra time. Entry is free and ten minutes under the dome is enough. The **dome climb** needs about 45 minutes with the wait and runs only at a few set times — if your time is tight, do the interior alone. The best sequence is the changing of the guard at Amalienborg at noon, then the church, then the walk out to the waterfront and the Opera House opposite.
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