Copenhagen’s Iconic Børsen Building Engulfed in Flames: 400 Years of History Lost

According to BBC, a significant portion of Copenhagen’s oldest structure, the historic Børsen building dating back to the 17th century, was consumed by a devastating fire on Tuesday morning.

The iconic dragon spire of the building collapsed into the street below as onlookers watched in horror. The Danish minister of culture, Jakob Engel-Schmidt, lamented the loss of four centuries of the nation’s cultural heritage in the blaze. Citizens quickly rallied to save valuable historic paintings from the burning building, and it took several hours for firefighters to bring the fire under control.

Located near the Danish parliament, the Folketing, and the former royal palace of Christiansborg Castle, the Børsen was undergoing renovations at the time of the incident and was covered in scaffolding and protective plastic. The Danish Chamber of Commerce, which currently occupies the building, described the scene as a terrible sight. Brian Mikkelsen, the chamber’s director, estimated that up to half of the old stock exchange had been destroyed but pledged to rebuild the structure “no matter what.”.

Henrik Grage, a local craftsman, compared the tragedy to the fire that ravaged the roof and spire of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris nearly five years ago.

The cause of the Copenhagen fire remains unknown, but emergency services noted that the scaffolding made their efforts more challenging. The fire was reportedly most intense around the tower area.

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Ole Hansen, a craftsman working on the building’s brickwork, witnessed the fire starting on the roof while he was on the scaffolding. He alerted his colleagues to evacuate and left the door open for firefighters to enter. Fire department chief Jakob Vedsted Andersen said that accessing the area beneath the old copper roof was an almost impossible task for firefighters. It wasn’t until Tuesday afternoon that he declared the fire under control, although much of the building had already been destroyed.