THE ROYAL CHILD
On Friday, 20. June, we open ROYAL CHILD - a new permanent exhibition that opens the door to a journey through centuries of royal childhood.
Children and adults are invited into a playful story about royal children and the traditions, values and dreams that have shaped generations of Danish princes and princesses.
Experience history first-hand
"The Royal Child" aims to combine play, learning and immersion in a living museum space, where the museum's unique collection comes to life through movement, sensory experiences and interaction. The experience puts children first - here, the adults have to bend down, while children take the lead and become experts in their own history. Through play and direct participation, they can experience history first-hand.
An engaging story about children's – then and now
The exhibition is divided into three main themes: family, school and play. Through rare and significant objects from the Royal Danish Collection, interactive elements and sensory experiences, children experience for themselves what it was like to be a royal child, from the time of Christian IV to now.
Exhibition opening with free admission
Take part in a lively opening opening event, from 16.30 to 19.00, with play and experiences in a historical setting for both children and aults, inside the castle and in the castle courtyard.
Meet royal children from history
In "The Royal Child", children can crawl through, touch, discover and explore history through sensory experiences. The exhibition combines physical interaction with digital elements and lets children meet historical royal children and their world.
Royal school at Koldinghus
The exhibition is set in the historical location of Koldinghus where Christian IV began his schooling at the age of six. Now, new generations of children are invited in, to take a seat at the school desk, climb up on the throne and explore the past.
Play and learning - and the other side of the coin
Royal children through time
Unique objects tell story of what it means to be a royal child. While Christian IV's travelling clock reflects a school day of diligence and discipline, Frederik VI's whoopee cushion reveals that even royal children enjoyed a prank.
Not just play and learning
Life as a royal child was not just about play and learning. A beautiful parade cradle tell the story of some royal children who never made it to adulthood.
Death masks
Infant mortality was an unavoidable part of life, and even royal children were not spared. The exhibited death masks are a quiet reminder of the grief that came with the loss - and how the young lives were remembered.
THE ROYAL CHILD
Jens Juel's portrait shows the 7-year-old Princess Caroline holding hands with her mother, Crown Princess Marie.
In connection with the exhibition, the Royal Danish Collection and Aarhus University Press publish the anthology "Børn som ingen andre" (Children like no others).
A royal person is born royal, but they also become royal through a dedicated process of upbringing and education. "Børn som ingen andre. Træk af den kongelige barndoms historie" (Children Like no Others: Aspects of the History of Royal Childhood) explores how royal children have been prepared for their role as rulers and cultural role models, over time. Royal children are children like all other children, but they also face unique challenges related to being part of the uppermost echelon of society, with the duties and privileges that their position entails.
The chapters of the book address aspects of a story that examines how royal children have been raised and presented to the world. Among other topics, the text looks at Christian IV's childhood and schooling, public image management through portrait paintings and photographs, what books royal children owned and read and the role of drawing in the education of royal children during the 19th century.
The closing chapter of the book describres how HM King Frederik X and HRH Prince Joachim as children were presented to the public through photographs and feature articles in weekly magazines. In the Epilogue, HM Queen Margrethe II speaks about her life as a royal child in the mid-20th century.
The book us published by the Royal Danish Collection and Aarhus University Press prior to the opening of the exhibition ”Royal Child” at Koldinghus.
The book is written by Jesper Munk Andersen, Nanna Claudius Bergø, Elisabeth von Buchwald, Ning de Coninck-Smith, Peter Kristiansen, Thomas Lyngby, Sebastian Olden-Jørgensen, Kristian Thomsen Purreskov, Mikael Bøgh Rasmussen, Kristoffer Schmidt and Christian Gorm Tortzen. Editors: Ning de Coninck-Smith, Mikael Bøgh Rasmussen, Kristoffer Schmidt and Trine Brun Petersen.
The publication has received support from Den Kongelige Formidlingsfond af 2003.