In Copenhagen, the old stock exchange, a heritage jewel, was destroyed by fire

Immediately, the residents of Copenhagen thought of the Notre Dame fire. Exactly five years and one day after the catastrophe that stunned the Parisians, the same astonishment could be read, on Tuesday morning, on the faces of those Danes who found the spectacle of the old Copenhagen Stock Exchange in flames and watched helplessly as its spire crumbled. which has become one of the symbols of the Danish capital.

The fire, which broke out at 7:30 a.m. for reasons that are still unknown, ravaged the building throughout the day and sent gray smoke billowing into the Copenhagen sky. In the evening, firefighters continued to work on the spot. From the outside, it was difficult to appreciate the extent of the damage, as the stock exchange, under construction from 2022, was surrounded by scaffolding and covered with a huge tarp that partially survived the fire.

But late in the afternoon, emergency services director Jakob Wedestedt Andersen noted that the fire, which did not cause any casualties, had started. “irreparable damage” in certain parts of the building. Although the facades resisted, the walls are so weakened that forty containers will be placed around the building to support the foundation.

restore “no matter what”

In the Dutch Renaissance style, Borsen, commissioned by King Christian IV and built by Flemish-born architects Lorenz and Hans van Steinwinkel the Younger, celebrates its 400th anniversary this year.^e birthday. It was almost a miracle because, as most Danish newspapers recalled on Tuesday, the stock exchange not only withstood the siege of Copenhagen by the Swedes in 1660, it also survived two great fires that destroyed the Danish capital in the XVIII.^e century, the destruction of neighboring Christiansborg Palace by fire in 1794, British bombardment in 1807, as well as the second Christiansborg fire in 1884 and World War II.

In addition to its red brick facades and green copper roof, the 128-meter-long structure was best known for its 56-meter-high, four-headed water dragon frames with their mouths open and clawed, their tails a spiral, topped by three balls and three crowns, representing the three Scandinavian monarchies (Denmark , Sweden and Norway) is a symbol of unity.

Home to the Copenhagen Stock Exchange until 1974, the building now houses the Danish Chamber of Commerce, which has undergone major renovations. Planned for several years, they were financed by several foundations connected to large Danish companies. On Tuesday, Chamber of Commerce CEO Brian Mikkelsen said Borsen will be rebuilt. “Whatever may happen”.