The Cotillion Coach (Danish : Kotillonvognen) is a miniature coach constructed in 1888 for the celebration of the 70th birthday of Christian IX of Denmark. It was later refurbished for the celebrations of the 18th birthday of Margrethe II and once again used at the 70th birthday of Queen Ingrid. It is on display in the Royal Mews and Carriage Museum at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen.
The 70th birthday of Christian IX was celebrated with a ball attended by 700 guests at Amalienborg Palace. The entertainment after dinner comprised a cotillion in the Great Hall of Christian VII's mansion. As a surprise, it opened with a procession consisting of the specially manufactured miniature coach escorted by children dressed as elves, runners and lackeys. Inside the coach was a girl dressed as an "ambassadress from a distant country". Lord chamberlain Carl Løvenskiold, who had been responsible for the planning of the ball, had also fostered the idea of the tableau and arranged for the construction of the carriage. The next day, Fredericia Dagblad provided a detailed account of the event: [1]
Efter Soupeen begave de kongelige Herskaber sig tilbage til "Christian den Syvendes Palæ" og direkte ind i den store sal, hvor de yngre Damer og Herrer ogsaa indfandt sig, medens det øvrige Selskab spredte sig i de tilstødende Gemakker. Det skulde dog ikke vare ret længe, forinden Enhver, der paa nogen Maade kunde skaffe sig Adgang til Dansesalen eller de til denne førende indgange, søgte derhen. Aftenens Overraskelse var det endnu fremdeles forbeholdt den utrættelige Overhofmarskal at berede Deres Majestæter, der, efter hvad der forlød, ikke havde den fjærneste Anelse om den smukke, i høj Grad tiltalende Form, under hvilken Kotillonen paa denne Festaften skulde indledes. Efter at Ds. Majestæter havde indtaget de for Allerhøjstsamme reserverede Pladser, meldte Musikens Toner Ankomsten af Udsendinge fra Alfernes Rige, der i Dagens Anledning vilde overbringe Majestæterne en hilsen. Ind i Salen kom nu et festligt Optog, der aabnedes af tvende Alfer, iført røde Kjoler, bærende blomstersmykkede Løberhatte paa Hovederne (i tro Kopi efter de kgl. Løberes Galahatte) og med vægtige Sølvstokke i Haanden; efter disse fulgte en i Rokokkostil rigt forgyldt Karosse, forspændt i røde Baand med sex hvidklædte Alfer med Sommerfuglevinger paa Ryggen. Paa den røde Fløjelsbuk, der bar Aarstallene 1818 og 1888, sad en bevinget galaklædt Kusk med trekantet Hat og Bukkelparyk [3], stolt kjørende sit Sexspand i lette blaa Silketøjler. Bag paa Vognen stode stive og strunke to Alfe-Lakajer og inden i Vognen tronede i et Hav af Blomster den lille Alfedronning, Ambassadricen fra det fjærne Land, iført en rosenkranset Kjole. Vognen, der var holdt i fuldstændig gammeldags Stil, var rigt forgyldt og ornamenteret, foret med blaat Brokade og med lysegule Silkecrêpe-Gardiner; paa dens Hjørner og over Midten straalede gyldne Kroner, paa Bagsiden var paa Guldgrund malet Gottorp Slot, paa den ene Side "det gule Palæ" i Amaliegade og Bernstorff Slot, paa den anden Side Residenspalæet paa Amalienborg og Fredensborg Slot, en smuk Hentydning til de Slotte, hvor Hs. Maj. Kongen blev født og har tilbragt sine Dage; paa Vogndørene var Hs. Majestæts Navnetræk anbragt i forgyldt Billedskærerarbejde. Hele Optoget, der fra alle Sider vakte en ubegrænset Opmærksomhed og blev beundret ikke mindre paa Grund af sin Originalitet end ved den fuldt gjennemførte Stil med de barokke Indfald, stod i nøjeste Overensstemmelse med den rigt udstyrede Rokokkosal og skyldtes ene og alene Overhofmarskallens Invention. Efter at festtoget havde kjørt Salen rundt, standsede Kusken de bevingede Alfer foran Ds. Majestæter; Lakajerne sprang ned, aabnede Vogndøren, og let som en Fjer sprang Alfedronningen. ud og fremsagde, efter med en Dronnings Anstand og Ynde at have overrakt deres Majestæter hver en pragtfuld Buket, en i Dagens Anledning kort versificeret Hilsen fra Alfernes Rige, hvor man i Lysets Glans frydede sig over alt det Gode, der i de svundne mange Aar var blevet øvet af den høje Drot som af den hulde Dronning, og hvorfra der ogsaa paa denne Dag skulde varsles om Fremtidens Lykke i Udøvelsen af alt Skjønt, Ædelt og Stort. Atter steg den lille Ambassadør til vogns og Turen fortsattes til Salens Midte, hvorefter Kotillonen dansedes, lige til Vognen var tømt for det rige Blomsterflor, som Alferne havde bragt. Kl. 2 1/2 behagede Ds. Majestæter og de øvrige Medlemmer af Kongefamiljen at trække sig tilbage og forlade Selskabsgemakkerne i "Christian den Syvendes Palæ" for ad samme Vej som ved Ankomsten at begive sig tilbage til Residenspalæet, hvorefter Selskabet opløste sig og lidt efter lidt forlod Palæet. Udførelsen af den ved Ballet anvendte Vogn med Tilbehør var besørget ved Kunsthandler Ernst Bojesen og det rige Blomsterflor var leveret fra Dina Schuldt & Ko.s Hofblomsterhandel, der begge hver for sit Vedkommende havde megen Ære af den Maade, paa hvilken de havde løst de dem stillede Opgaver.
Prior to the festivities in connection with the 18th birthday of Princess Margrethe on 15 April 1959, Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid had the cotillion coach refurbished. At the birthday party, it was drawn into the Knight's Hall of Frederick VIII's mansion with Princess Anne Marie sitting inside it with a wealth of cotillion coach bouquets.
For the 70th birthday of Queen Ingrid on 28 March 1980, it was decorated with flowers by florist Erik Bering. It was his first official assignment for the royal family. The idea was fostered by Princess Benedikte and the coach was drawn into the Kuppelsalen at Fredensborg Palace during the dinner.
At the celebration of the silver anniversary of Constantin and Anne Marie in a tent in the garden of Fredensborg Palace in 1989, their two youngest grandchildren, Princess Theodora and Prince Philippos, were given a ride in the coach which was decorated with flowers and drawn by coachmen Jens Christiansen and Erik Kofoed.
In 1906, Tivoli Gardens created a copy of the Cotillion Coach for the Tivoli Guards. It was constructed at P.M. Knudsens Barnevognsfabrik on Frederiksberg. In 1965, it accompanied the Tivoli Guards on a visit to New York City in connection with the 1964–65 World's Fair. It was decommissioned in 2012. [2]
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Søndergade or Strøget is a street in Aarhus, Denmark. It is located in the inner city neighborhood and runs 350 metres south to north from Ryesgade to Skt. Clemens Stræde and provides access to the alleys Telefonsmøgen and Posthussmøgen. Søndergade was created between 1854 and up through the 1860s as the city expanded southwards following the abolition of octroi and the city walls. The word Sønder is an older Danish form of "south" and the name thus means "Southward-street". Søndergade is part of the 750 meters long shopping street and pedestrian zone Strøget which runs from Aarhus Central Station to Aarhus Cathedral, consisting of the three streets Søndergade, St. Clemens Street and Ryesgade. Strøget has about 47,000 visitors on a daily basis and some 14 million visitors annually, making it among the busiest commercial streets in Denmark.
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The Golden Coupé, also known as State Coach No. 1, is the finest of the carriages still used by the Danish royal family. Built in Henry Fife's Copenhagen workshop in 1839–1840, it was first used by Christian VIII. Since then, it has been used by all Danish monarchs. It is used today by Margrethe II for the annual New Year's levee in January as well as for special occasions, such as jubilees and state visits.
