Copenhagen, fire devastates the seventeenth-century stock exchange, symbol of the city

by Editorial Staff, written on 04/17/2024
Categories: Current affairs

A fire that broke out early yesterday morning devastated the seventeenth-century Copenhagen Stock Exchange, a masterpiece of Northern Renaissance architecture and symbol of the city. The Dragon Spire of 1625 collapsed.

A devastating one firewhich broke out in the early hours of yesterday morning (the first alarm was raised at 7.36am) seriously damaged the seventeenth-century building of the Bag Of Copenhagencausing the collapse of the Dragon Spiresymbol of Borsen, as it is called in Denmark. It is considered one of best examples of Northern Renaissance architecture in Denmark: it was built around 1619 and completed in 1623 (work on some parts of the building, however, continued until 1640). The building was commissioned by the king Christian IV of Denmark to the architects Lorenz van Steenwinckel (Copenhagen, 1585 – 1619) and Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger (Copenhagen, 1587 – 1639): born as a commercial building, it later became the headquarters of Copenhagen Stock Exchange, a role he held until 1974, when the Danish stock exchange was moved to a modern building. It currently housed the Dansk Erhverv, a sort of large national chamber of commerce.

The dragon spire, which collapsed during the fire, dates back to 1625: it owes its name to the fact that this curious element was formed by the twisted tails of four dragons placed at the base of the spire, 54 meters high in total. It collapsed shortly after the first alarms: already at 8:32, in fact, the spire was already ruined. The flames engulfed half of the building: the other half, the one towards the port, was saved. Several paintings contained in the building were saved by the firefighters: among these was also the painting known as From the Copenhagen Stock Exchange, large canvas measuring two and a half by four meters by Peder Severin Krøyer, one of the main Danish painters in history. In fact, the Stock Exchange hosts numerous works of art by all of the country’s greatest artists.

“This is an incredibly sad day,” Dansk Erhverv wrote in a statement. “Børsen is one of Copenhagen’s most evocative buildings and we were on the eve of its 400th anniversary. Amid the many emotions and tasks we all face right now, there are also many questions. But the fire isn’t out yet and it’s important to tackle one thing at a time. There is much, much that will need to be resolved in the coming times, but Dansk Erhverv is a strong organization, so we will handle it together. We have no doubt about this. Despite the situation, the organization continues in order to help our many members. We have established a crisis unit to manage the emergency and the decisions that need to be made in the short term. Our organization is strong – and we have received warm attention from everyone in the country – and together we will quickly get back on our feet. From tomorrow our work will be daily and we will organize ourselves in such a way that a small group will work on the emergency. Together we are strong and we will need all our energy in the coming times.”

The building, at the time of the fire, was under renovation, and the spire would be completed next year four hundred years. At the moment there are no victims. Ironically, over the centuries the Stock Exchange had survived several fires that hit the nearby Christiansborg Palace, home of the Danish Parliament. This time, however, there was nothing to be done. The king’s comment was bitter Frederick X of Denmark: “An important part of our architectural cultural heritage was and continues to be on fire,” he said. “Over generations, the distinctive dragon spire has helped define Copenhagen as the ‘city of towers’.” “We have to think about what can be saved and how to rebuild it, because it is very important for the city,” said the mayor of Copenhagen, Sophie Haestorp Andersen.

Yesterday evening the solidarity of the President of the Republic reached King Frederick Sergio Mattarella: “I would like to express, on behalf of all Italians and my own,” the president wrote to the Scandinavian sovereign, “deep sympathy with your country for the serious fire that engulfed the Copenhagen Stock Exchange causing enormous damage also to the famous spire of the building ”. In the next few hours, the building will be secured. The firefighters of the Danish capital have announced that there is no risk to nearby buildings, but it will take at least 24 hours for the safety operations to be carried out.