Copenhagen, 16 April. (askanews) – A vast fire devastated the former Copenhagen Stock Exchange, dating back to the 17th century, causing the 54-metre spire to collapse. The Borsen building, built between 1619 and 1640, is one of the city’s best-known symbols, was under renovation and is currently the headquarters of the Danish Chamber of Commerce.
“Terrifying images from Borsen this morning. 400 years of Danish cultural heritage going up in flames,” wrote Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt in a post on X. The images were reminiscent of the Notre Dame Cathedral disaster in Paris, almost five years ago, still with the spire
destroyed by flames.
“This is our Notre-Dame. This is our national treasure. This morning I was moved when I saw people running from the street into the building carrying away paintings. There are works by many old Danish painters inside , original” said a resident.
“I have no words… It’s a 400-year-old building that survived all the other fires that razed Copenhagen. So it’s a terrible loss,” said a man who works at the stock exchange.
Everyone inside the building managed to get out, but very valuable works were lost.
According to the Danish Chamber of Commerce, the fire broke out at 7:30 am local time. The police said they had blocked off some areas of the city center to completely put out the fire; the causes are still unknown.
Tags: Copenhagen Stock Exchange fire spire collapses NotreDame
