sandstone from Saxony, and the sculptor Johan Christof Petzoldt richly decorated the concave roofs with the royal couple's back-to-back monograms and four figures on each roof symbolising the royal couple's positive traits. The interior decoration was by the court's master stonemason Jacob Fortling. The bridge and pavilions were finished in 1744. In 1996, when Copenhagen was European Capital of Culture, the Palaces and Properties Agency finished a restoration of the Showgrounds that had taken many years. The Marble Bridge and Pavilions were restored between 1978 and 1996 by architect Erik Hansen and the Show Grounds from 1985-1996 by Royal Inspector of Listed State Buildings Gehrdt Bornebusch. King Christian IX's equestrian statue A collection was started for the construction of a monument to King Christian IX shortly after his death in 1906. The following year four artists were invited to compete for the commission. There was no discussion about the position of the statue. It would be erected on Christiansborg Riding Ground Complex as a pendant to the statue of King Frederick VII on the Palace Square. Sculptor Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen, the wife of composer Carl Nielsen, won the competition with her proposal for a new equestrian statue. In the proposal, the statue was shown on a high pedestal, on the sides of which were reliefs depicting a procession of the leading men of the day, including industrialist Carl Frederik Tietgen, politician Jakob Brønnum Scavenius Estrup and poets Jens Peter Jacobsen and Holger Drachmann. The reliefs were later axed, and the architect Andreas Clemmensen designed the pedestal that bears the horse today. The sculptor sought throughout the country for the right horse to stand as a model, but found it in Hanover in Germany. This gave rise to a good deal of displeasure among Danish horse breeders. The monument took a long time to complete, but in 1927, 21 years after the king's death, it was unveiled on the Riding Ground Complex. Gallery References Footnotes Bibliography External links Christiansborg Palace Folketinget (Parliament) The Prime Minister's Office The Monarchy The Royal Stables The Theatre Museum in the Court Theatre Visiting Copenhagen (AOK) Copenhagen-Portal – Christiansborg Castle – The Danish Parliament Tårnet (The Tower) Palaces in Copenhagen Legislative buildings in Europe Official residences in Denmark Royal residences in Denmark Castles in Denmark Baroque Revival architecture Baroque architecture in Copenhagen Seats of national legislatures Tourist attractions in Copenhagen Government buildings in Denmark National supreme