was about to be demolished in 1842 when Christian VIII bought it and charged Jørgen Hansen Koch with its comprehensive renovation. A mezzanine was added and the layout of the first-floor rooms was changed. Fitting Jardin's decorative style, Norwegian marble fireplaces are to be found in three of the larger rooms. A sign above the entrance reads: "Honesto inter labores otio sacrum" or "Reserved for honest rest between periods of work." In 1854, Bernstorff Palace was placed at the disposal of Crown Prince Christian, later King Christian IX, who adopted it as his preferred summer residence. Indeed, it was to become a popular retreat for the royal couple and their extended family during the king's long reign. Visitors included Tsar Alexander III of Russia and Edward VII of the United Kingdom. In 1888, after the Nordic Exhibition, Queen Louise bought the timbered Swedish pavilion and had it fitted out as guest quarters. On Christian IX's death in 1906, Prince Valdemar of Denmark inherited the palace, continuing to use it as a summer residence until his death in 1939. Princess Margaret of Denmark, Prince Valdemar's youngest child, was born at Bernstorff Palace. Recent history Afterwards, it was used by the Danish Emergency Management Agency as an academy for non-commissioned officers. On 1 May 2009, after an agreement with Gitte Jensen and Kirsten Nielsen, Bernstorff Palace opened as a hotel and conference centre. The palace gardens The palace's extensive gardens were laid out in the Romantic landscape style which had just been introduced to Denmark in the 1760s. In addition to the lawns and woods, they include a rose garden, an orchard and a tea house. It is believed that Jardin, who designed the palace, was also responsible for the design of the gardens, especially as his plans refer to the emergence of landscape gardens as a new trend in Denmark. The Bernstorffs, who took great interest in the gardens, planted apricots, peaches, grapes, rare apple and pear trees, cherries and plums in their kitchen garden, together with rare varieties of cucumbers, artichokes, lettuces and melons from France and the Netherlands. They also acquired a host of rare trees and bushes for the gardens including chestnuts, acacias, holly, tulip trees, plane trees, medlars, azaleas, barberries, quinces and lilacs, many of them completely new to Denmark at the time. Most of these exotic varieties had withered away by the time Christian IX bought