Copenhagen’s Iconic Stock Exchange Engulfed in Flames
Copenhagen’s historic stock exchange prior to the fire (WikiCommons).
Denmark’s historic stock exchange was engulfed in flames early April 16 as a fire ripped through the iconic building in Copenhagen, reported BBC News. The old stock exchange, known as Børsen to locals, dates back to the 1600s and is one of the city’s oldest buildings. Denmark’s King Christian IVcommissioned the Dutch Renaissance-style building, seeking to make Copenhagen a major trading center. Construction began in 1619 and ended in 1625, according to the Washington Post.
The building was known for its characteristic dragon spire that helped to define Copenhagen as the “city of towers,” said King Frederik X. BBC News reported that the spire featured four dragons whose tails were twisted together into a spear and three crowns meant to symbolize the close ties Denmark has with neighbors Norway and Sweden.
The building no longer houses the Danish Stock Exchange but now serves as the Danish Chamber of Commerce headquarters, reported CNN. Børsen is located in Copenhagen, the capital and most populous city of Denmark, on the city’s Slotsholmen, or Palace Island. The old stock exchange was under renovation and had been covered in scaffolding and plastic ahead of its 400th anniversary, said the Washington Post.
According to BBC News, one of the construction workers, Ole Hansen, saw the fire start on the roof, warned his colleagues, and left the building door unlocked so that the firefighters could enter. The fire department chief Jakob Vested Anderson said that his firefighters had a difficult time accessing the area under the old copper roof, struggling to contain the fire. Despite firefighters being on the scene early April 16, it wasn’t until later that afternoon that the fire was truly under control. By that time, much of the building was already burned out.
The fire chief said that the “furniture, floor partitions, and everything that could burn has been affected by the fire.” Unfortunately, the fire reached all the floors of the building and caused the collapse of the symbolic dragon-tail spire on Tuesday morning, said CNN. The walls of the building are still standing; however, the interior damage is significant and the roof is partially collapsed. The blaze was still burning the afternoon of April 17 as firefighters fought to extinguish the last pockets of the fire more than 24 hours after it began.
BBC News reported that the old stock exchange housed an extensive collection of historic artwork. Luckily, members of the public joined emergency services as they rushed into the building to save the Børsen’s art collection. The Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt was devastated as nearly 400 years of Danish cultural heritage had gone up in flames. However, he added that it was “touching” to see how many individuals worked together “to rescue art treasures and iconic images from the burning building,” reported CNN.
On Wednesday, the Copenhagen police officially launched an investigation into the cause of the fire but have said it will be a “complicated process.” The director of the Danish Chamber of Commerce, Brian Mikkelsen, promised that the building would be rebuilt “no matter what” due to its cultural significance, according to BBC News.