“400 years of Danish cultural heritage in flames” is the comment of the Danish Minister of Culture, Jakob Engel-Schmidt on X. The building, among the oldest in the capital, was the subject of a restoration project. The spire of the building, 50 meters high, collapsed. Exactly five years ago the dramatic fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.
On the morning of April 15, 2024, a violent fire broke out inside this historic building, which hosted the Copenhagen Stock Exchangeand is currently home to the Danish Chamber of Commerce.
The historic building, located next to the Danish Parliament (Christiansborg Palace), is one of the oldest in the Danish capital. The famous one spire, over 50 meters high, collapsed after being engulfed in flames.
On site, numerous rescue teams (around 120 firefighters and 60 members of the army) are trying to save the works of art contained inside the building.
A restoration site was underway in the building, starting in 2022.
The images bring back memories of another terrible accident. Exactly five years ago, between 15 and 16 April 2019, a fire heavily damaged the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.
The Copenhagen Stock Exchange is in flames, the spire collapses
Like at Notre-Dame: the fire at the former Copenhagen Stock Exchange broke out in the roof
As reported by the Danish news agency Ritzau, Jakob Vedsted Andersen, Director of Emergency Management in Copenhagen said: «The flames started under the roof. It’s a copper roof and it’s simply impossible to get under the roof, so the flames had plenty of time to develop an intensity that spread through the building.”
The fire is affecting around 50% of the building, part of the roof has collapsed together with the famous Dragon Spire.
Børsen: the Stock Exchange building in Copenhagen
Located on the island of Slotsholmen in Copenhagen, this historic building in the heart of the Danish capital was commissioned by Christian IV of Denmark, between 1619 and 1640, from the architect Hans van Steenwinckel II.
A distinctive architectural element in the city skyline was the Dragon Spire, so called because of its shape which resembled four dragon tails joined together. Over 50 meters high, unfortunately the spire collapsed following a terrible fire that broke out in the building on the morning of April 16, 2024.
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