At the Rosenborg Castle, Copenhagen, Denmark

 “My castle is very different from what I planned, but I would not alter it.” ― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

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(in Denmark) Located on the islands of Zealand and Amager, at the southern end of The Sound (Øresund), Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark and a leading center of culture and education in Europe. Featured here is the beautiful 400-year-old Rosenborg Castle, found in central Copenhagen's popular park, The King's Garden. A marvelous combination of turrets, gables and moat, the early-17th-century Rosenborg Slot was built in Dutch Renaissance style by King Christian IV -- one of the most famous Scandinavian kings -- to serve as his summer home. Today the castle's 24 upper rooms are chronologically arranged, housing the furnishings and portraits of each monarch from Christian IV to Frederik VII. The pièce de résistance is the basement Treasury, home to the dazzling crown jewels, among them Christian IV's glorious crown and Christian III's jewel-studded sword. Feeling a bit cramped at Rosenborg, King Frederik IV built a larger palace in the 18th century in the town of Fredensborg, north of the city. In the years that followed, Rosenborg was used mainly for official functions and as a place in which to safeguard the monarchy's heirlooms.