Early Tuesday morning, a fire broke out at Børsen, the historic stock exchange building in Copenhagen. The building was engulfed in flames, leading to the collapse of its tower onto the street.
While no longer home to Copenhagen’s actual market operations, which are run by Nasdaq Copenhagen from headquarters a 600-metre walk from the site, the fire delivers a serious blow to the centuries-old cultural history of the city’s vibrant financial activities.
The famous dragon tails tower fell around 8:30 in the morning according to eyewitnesses, causing nearby street lamps to sway dangerously. “The Stock Exchange itself is wrapped in scaffolding, but the tower is sticking up and there is a lot of fire. It’s like a torch. The scaffolding apparently makes it impossible for the fire brigade to get close to the tower”, reported Morten Skærbæk, a journalist from Politiken.
Witnesses were seen evacuating artworks, with Dansk Erhverv’s director Brian Mikkelsen present and helping. Skærbæk described Mikkelsen as “reasonably shocked”.
The Børsen, dating back to 1625, holds significant historical and architectural importance as one of Copenhagen’s oldest buildings. Nowadays, the old stock exchange is used for gala dinners, conferences, parties and other events.