Since 1848, Denmark is a constitutional monarchy and kings have not been crowned any more. In 1859 there was a large fire in the castle and the majority of the castle has been destroyed. Restoration has been proceeded with the intention to build a museum of Danish history in the castle. Tourists now pass through magnificently furnished rooms which are divided into different time periods, and can see the rich history of the Danish kingdom. The castle is richly equipped with paintings, furniture and interior decorative accessories. Frederiksborg is the Denmark’s largest gallery of portraits of all kings and queens from the year 1500, along with hundreds of other prominent Danish people.

Frederiksborg Palace is surrounded by a lake and park, which consists of a Baroque French garden and English park. From May to September, you can take tour boat around the castle. The start point is near the main square with city hall and the finish at the castle gardens.

The castle is located in the town of Hillerød, the final lines of the S-train. The city’s history is closely linked to the castle. Before castle construction there stood only a few village houses. Soon the city grew and became a center of commerce. Even today you can do shopping here, as well as in the center of Copenhagen, all the major companies have their own clothing shops here in the shopping street.

Hillerød is a vibrant town with 35,000 inhabitants and a beautiful castle, which is its greatest attraction.

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Jack Versloot

In the summer you can enjoy sandy beaches along the North Sea. If you are planning a holiday by the sea, be sure to book a hotel in advance. Lakes, reservoirs and canals create ideal conditions for water sports. E.g. sailing is a very common and popular enjoyment here. During spring and summer the flowers are just about everywhere.

The Netherlands is divided into 12 provinces and include also a set of Caribbean islands – Netherlands Antilles and the independent island of Aruba. Although the Netherlands is a small country, it offers many interesting places. E.g. windmills – certainly every one of us has heard about them. However from the several thousands of them, only less than a thousand survived.

Cities and their surroundings are full of cultural and historical monuments, ancient buildings and museums. Near the towns there are parks suitable for a bike or roller skating. Those more adventurous can take advantage of water reservoirs and rivers and experience firsthand with sailing and windsurfing on the largest lake in the country Ijsselmeer. Hiking is probably the most ideal way to combine an active holiday with sightseeing.

The coast are beautiful as well. After a tide there are hundreds of small and large treasures from the seabed lying on the beaches. It is difficult to recommend a place or location, which would be best. The main point is that regardless of where you are and how you arrived, you are welcomed by nice and helpful people.

What is the best known in the Netherlands? Fantastic fields of tulips and other flowers. Colourful markets offer great cheese directly from their producers that still wear traditional costumes. Ticking clogs, windmills ….. famous painter Vincent van Gogh and Rembrandt and Amsterdam.

Amsterdam is a city where you can find dozens of museums, tourist boats filling the canals, grinding of diamonds, coffeshops at each corner. Another Dutch city of Rotterdam is Europe’s largest port. The city boasts modern architecture and offers views of the city from the air – from well-known, 185 meters high, Euromast tower. Utrecht is a historic town dominated by the Dom Church with tower reaches a height of 112 meters.

When visiting the country you should not miss the fishing village at the IJsselmeer – the largest lake in Western Europe. In addition, the towns of Edam and Alkmaar, which are famous for their cheese markets and the small town of Delft which is famous for producing the famous Delft pottery.

There are also several theme and amusement parks in Netherlands.

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Sweden, officially the Kingdom of Sweden, is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy of government with the current king Carl XVI Gustaf. The country has highly developed economy. The capital city is Stockholm, which has about 800,000 inhabitants. The whole kingdom covers 449,964 km² with approximately 9,856,000 inhabitants (of which about 1.5 million are immigrants). The largest cities after Stockholm are Göteborg, Malmö and Uppsala. Three main areas of Sweden, basically corresponding to the southern, central and northern parts of the country are Götaland (south), Svealand (central part) and Norrland (north).

The best time for visiting Sweden is Winter or Summer when you can see the polar night (in Winter) and have the daylight only for a few hours, or polar day (in Summer) with the sun above you almost for 24 hours.

Typical cuisine is Smorgåsbord (a buffet of savoury delicacies), Baltic herring, pea soup and pancakes.

Among the best know people from Sweden you will find actress Greta Garbo or music group ABBA.

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