Marselisborg Palace has its name from a family that immigrated from The Netherlands. The merchant Gabriel Marselis acquired a portion of Jutland Crownland from Frederik the 3rd in 1661, and his son Constantin built the barony Marselisborg. Through the centuries, Marselisborg Palace changed owners many times until the city of Aarhus bought what remained of it in 1896. In the years following, the last remnants of the original main building were demolished.

In connection with the engagement of the successor to the throne, Prince Christian (X), with Princess Alexandrine in 1897, there was a proposal to raise funds for a summer palace somewhere in Jutland for the couple, and, with Christian IX’s permission, a nationwide collection was carried out for this objective. When the city council in Aarhus offered to make a portion of Marselisborg’s lands available free of charge for the purpose, the choice fell on this location. During the years 1899-1902, the existing Marselisborg was built according to designs by the Royal Inspector of Listed State Buildings, Hack Kampmann.

In 1967, Frederik IX made Marselisborg Palace available to the then-Successor to the Throne, Princess Margrethe, and Prince Henrik. On the same occasion, the palace was modernized thanks to the funds the couple had received as a gift from Danish people in connection with their wedding the same year. 

The approx. 13-hectare park was laid out by landscape gardener L. Chr. Diederichsen in English style with large lawns surrounded by trees, small ponds and low, plant-covered, small hills. In addition, the park contains a number of works of art, a rose park and a herb garden.

The palace is not open to the public, but the park is open to the public when the Royal Family is not in residence at the palace. There is a changing of the guard with the Royal Life Guard at 12.00 when The King resides at the palace.