On 21 October, The King and Queen will be welcomed in Berlin by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, HE Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and his wife, Ms. Elke Büdenbender. Afterwards, The King and Queen visit the Reichstag Building and will be received by the President of the Bundestag, HE Bärbel Bas.

During the visit, The King and Queen will also take part together with The Royal House of Sweden, The Royal House of Norway, the President of Finland, the President of Iceland and the President of the Federal Republic of Germany in a joint Nordic celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Nordic embassy complex in Berlin.

The first day of the visit concludes with an official dinner in the evening at Schloss Bellevue hosted by the President and the First Lady.

On 22 October, The King and Queen will visit Schleswig-Holstein and the Danish minority in Germany. The visit emphasises the strong bond with the Danish-minded population and promotes specific collaborations across the border, especially related to green transformation. There will be visits in both Kiel and Flensburg, the opening of an energy conference and a visit to Danevirke, a system of ancient Danish defence fortifications. The visit by The King and Queen concludes with an arrangement with the Danish minority at Flensborghus.

PROGRAM

The programme may be subject to changes.

Monday, 21 October

Official welcome at Schloss Bellevue
10:30                                               
The King and Queen are officially welcomed by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and his wife, Ms. Elke Büdenbender, at their residence, Schloss Bellevue. Schloss Bellevue is centrally located in Berlin’s Tiergarten close to the Spree River and has been the official residence of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany since 1994.

During the welcoming ceremony, the national anthems of the two countries will be played, and His Majesty will inspect the guard of honour together with the President of the Federal Republic of Germany.

As a part of the welcoming ceremony, The King and Queen will sign the guest book, and Their Majesties will take part together with Minister for Foreign Affairs Lars Løkke Rasmussen in a short meeting and accession conversation with the German President and First Lady.

Reception at the Bundestag
13:00
The King and Queen are received by the President of the Bundestag, Bärbel Bas, and participate in a tour of the Reichstag, with a focus on the building’s historical significance. The visit concludes on the roof terrace of the Reichstag with a view over Berlin.

Celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Nordic embassy complex
15:00
Representatives from the five Nordic countries and the host country Germany jointly celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Nordic embassy complex in Berlin. Therefore, The King and Queen will take part in the celebration together with the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Ms. Elke Büdenbender, TRH Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden, TRH Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, the President of Finland, HE Alexander Stubb, and his wife, Mrs. Suzanne Innes-Stubb, the President of Iceland,  HE Halla Tómasdóttir, and her husband, Mr. Björn Skúlason, foreign ministers from the five Nordic countries, and the Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers, Karen Ellemann.

The embassy complex was built when Berlin once again became the capital after the reunification of East and West Germany, and the embassies moved from Bonn to Berlin. 

The anniversary will be celebrated on the square between the five embassies with musical performances and speeches, after which The King and Queen, together with the Swedish Crown Princess Couple, the Norwegian Crown Prince Couple, the President of Finland and the President of Iceland, will be taken on a tour of the Nordic exhibition that has been developed in connection with the anniversary.

Finally, The King and Queen will participate in a cultural arrangement in the Danish section of the embassy complex.

Official dinner
19:30
The King and Queen take part together with the other Nordic royalty and presidents in an official dinner at Schloss Bellevue hosted by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany. The dinner is an official element in connection with the accession-related visit by The King and Queen and the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the shared Nordic embassy complex.

At the dinner, The King and the President of the Federal Republic of Germany will give speeches. 

Tuesday, 22 October

Official welcome in Schleswig-Holstein
11:00
On the second day of the accession visit, the Minister President of Schleswig-Holstein, HE Daniel Günther, and Mrs. Anke Günther host an official welcoming ceremony in Schleswig-Holstein’s capital, Kiel.

The King and Queen participate in an accession conversation and a luncheon reception with the participation of, among others, state ministers, the presidium of the State Parliament, Danish honorary consuls in Schleswig-Holstein as well as Denmark’s representative in the state government.

Sailing tour to energy conference at GEOMAR
12:50    
The King and Queen sail on an electric ferry, which is used in Kiel as a part of the public transportation in Kiel Fjord. During the sailing tour, the director of the research institute GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Katja Matthes, introduces GEOMAR’s research and work in the areas of hydrogen and green energy.  

Energy conference at GEOMAR
13:15
The King and Queen take part in the opening of an energy conference at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research. The State of Slesvig-Holstein plays a role in the development of the infrastructure that will bring green hydrogen to Germany and in establishment of a pipeline that, in the long term, can transport CO2 from Germany for storage in Denmark. The conference is being held in cooperation with DI Danish Energy Industries, and 18 Danish companies and institutions are participating. 

The King will give the opening speech at the conference, and Minister President Daniel Günther and the Danish minister for foreign affairs will also give speeches.

Visit at Danevirke 
14:55
The King and Queen visit Danevirke together with Minister President Daniel Günther and Mrs. Anke Günther. Danevirke is the largest ancient historical monument in Northern Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The visit by The King and Queen at Danevirke focuses on the gathering of minorities and populations across borders, on the significance for the Danish minority and on the experience of 1500 years of shared Danish-German history. At Danevirke Museum, The King and Queen will get the opportunity to examine the Fieldstone Wall and Valdemar’s Wall as well as the Gate to the North.

The King and Queen will also get to greet archaeologists and receive a briefing on Danish-German museum cooperation in the border region.

Finally, The King and Queen will take part in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new museum.

Visit at Flensborghus and with the Danish minority
16:15
The accession visit by The King and Queen concludes with a visit at Flensborghus, which is the centre for Danish association activities in South Schleswig. In company with the Danish minister for foreign affairs as well as Minister President Daniel Günther and Mrs. Anke Günther, The King and Queen participate in conversations with representatives of South Schleswig associations and organisations and greet citizens.

During the arrangement, The King and Queen will also take part in community singing led by the choir of Jaruplund Danske Skole.

Flensborghus was built in 1725 with permission from Frederik IV. The bricks used come from ruins of Duborg Castle, which was built by Margrethe I in the 1400s. After the First World War, the building was purchased by the Border Association and converted into a Danish community centre and library.