400-year-old spire collapses, Parliament building evacuated – -

It was supposed to be the queen’s first birthday without a throne Margrethe of Denmark who celebrates her 84th birthday today to the palace of Frederisksborg with the new King Frederik X and the new Queen Mary.

The day of celebrations for the doyen of Europe’s sovereigns was however interrupted by the news of thefire that sent the historic Copenhagen Stock Exchange to ashes this morning.

The fire broke out while restoration work was being carried outexploded at 8 in the morning. At 10.30 the flames were already licking the entire building threatening to spread to the adjacent buildings as well.

The roof of the historic building then collapsed, causing the spiral tower to also collapse which for centuries has been one of the symbols of the Danish capital.

The restoration was supposed to restore the façade to its original style after a 19th century recovery work had remodeled the original style.

“The Queen and I would like to thank all those who have ensured since the early hours of the morning that no one was injured and that as many treasures as possible were saved,” commented King Frederiksigning Fredrik R (for Rex).

Adding: «For 400 years, Christian IV’s building edifice Børsen has been a significant landmark for Copenhagen. Through generations, the characteristic dragon spire has helped to depict Copenhagen as the ‘city of towers'”. For 400 years the building had in fact been an emblem of Copenhagen and for generations had contributed to the Danish capital’s nickname as the “city of towers”.

The fire that destroyed the historic Stock Exchange building

A historic building went up in flames in a violent fire

which also caused the collapse 400 year old spire. And which he immediately forced to evacuate Christiansborg Palace where the Danish parliament, the Folketinget, is now located from where the new King Frederik appeared in January after the abdication of his mother Margrethe.

«My mother, Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II led Denmark for 52 years. For half a century you have kept up with the times while respecting our history and tradition – you had said from that balcony today surrounded by the flames of the Stock Exchange fire, King Frederik She will forever be remembered as an extraordinary ruler. I have the hope of being a king capable of unifying. A challenge that I have given myself throughout my life. It is a responsibility that I accept with respect, pride and great joy.”

Parliament sessions suspended

All parliament sessions in the Provianthus wing of Folketinget have been suspended

.

Børsen, on Slotsholmen or the island of kings in Copenhagen (on which the oldest royal palaces and today the parliament stand) was famous precisely for spire now collapsed with its intertwined dragon tails and three crowns on top representing the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

Built by King Christian IV and completed in 1625 together with the Round Tower, it was one of the most important historical points of the Danish capital.

So for Margrethe, a cultured queen, studying at the London School of economics and at the Sorbonne, who married the French prince Henry chosen with the passion of her heart, today’s birthday has the bitter taste of a fire that breaks the magic of a 2024 that has begun with the honey of King Frederik’s accession to the throne with his beloved Queen Mary.

Determined, the elderly Margrethe II who abdicated in favor of her son on New Year’s Eve 2023, had caused a sensation with her announcement to cut off the cadet branches of the family. More: the doyen of sovereigns in Europe after the death of Elizabeth II in 2022. Margrethe became queen on 15 January 1972, the day after the death of her father King Frederik IX. She is a beloved sovereign in her homeland, she has the culture of a woman of letters, she studies at the London School of Economics and at the Sorbonne, a multifaceted nature that over the years has led her to illustrate Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and to design costumes for ballets.