The Kunstkammer and Library building In the 1650s and 1660s both the Kunstkammer and the Library collections at the Castle grew to such a degree that there was a problem with space. The foundation stone for a new building was laid in 1665 to the west of the Castle. The ground floor would house the Tøjhus (the Arsenal, with arms), the first floor the Library, with the Kunstkammer on the second floor. The purpose of the building was reflected in its decoration. Statues of Mars and Minerva on the gable-ends represented War and Wisdom, and a tablet placed in the middle of the façade was inscribed: Ars, Lex, Mars. In common with similar institutions elsewhere in Europe, the building was located close by the royal residence. In accordance with the best kunstkammer principles, the whole world was assembled under one roof: Nature and Art, the Sciences, antiquities and foreign folk, forefathers and family. Kunstkammer and Library building in about the mid-1700s. Painting by Johannes Rach and Heinrich Eegberg 1749. (National Museum) It is believed that the numerous treasures of the Kunstkammer were moved from the Castle to the new premises at the end of the 1670s, with the transfer apparently being completed in 1680. The various carpenters' bills, paid throughout the whole decade, probably related to the construction of the collection's new surroundings. In 1683-84 The Model Chamber was set up in two rooms in the attic. The building itself still exists and is used today by the Danish National Archives. A Latin inscription from 1680 in the Kunstkammer describes the collection: 'There is nothing whatsoever peculiar from Nature or Art on the face of Earth or Sea, that cannot be found within these rooms, without the necessity of going so far: the wonders of the world in a nutshell. These masterpieces, which your eyes behold, permit you to appreciate the solicitude and care of the great King Christian V'. (Quoted from H.C. Bering Liisberg: Kunstkammeret. Dets Stiftelse og ældste Historie. Copenhagen 1897.) To previous page The Kunstkammer 1680-1825 To next page Visiting the Kunstkammer