On Tuesday morning, the Børsen building in Copenhagen was a victim of a fire that consumed this iconic stock exchange to ruins and caused its spire to fall. It was the Danish Chamber of Commerce that was being renovated in the said structure at that time.
King Christian IV commissioned and constructed Børsen in 1625 to adopt the Dutch Renaissance style of architecture and make Copenhagen a major hub of commerce. The tall spire, with a length of 183 feet (56 meters), was interestingly designed by incorporating four dragon tails spun into a spear and three crowns, which signified Denmark’s relationship with Sweden and Norway.
A spire fell to the ground during the course of the fire, and Denmark suffered one of its worst losses in recent memory: 400 years of cultural history vanished in an instant, according to Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt. The cause is not yet known, but it bears similarities to another major fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 2019 where an electrical fault or cigarette caused a short circuit.
According to local media, the fire quickly spread into the elevator shafts, making it difficult for rescue personnel to contain. The protective covering and scaffolding on the building’s front presented challenges for the firefighters as they attempted to put out the fire.
Despite the fire’s destructive intensity, no casualties were reported since everyone within the structure was able to escape without incident. Nonetheless, there has been significant damage to the structure and its belongings, including priceless paintings from the 17th century.
Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister of Denmark, expressed her sadness at the loss, saying that the building’s cultural legacy was “irreplaceable” and that it was a “piece of Danish history” that was burning. It was admirable how the director of the Chamber of Commerce and members of the public helped emergency personnel recover priceless artwork and historical objects from the flaming structure.
Firefighters put forth endless effort to contain the fire while it was destroying Børsen, an iconic representation of Denmark’s rich cultural heritage.
