Today’s Post
It’s rare that we talk about current events here, as we tend to focus on cultural or baking-related topics. But something that happened this past week seemed like an opportunity to share some interesting Danish culture and history, both early and modern. You may have seen this in the news, but a historic Copenhagen building, Børsen, caught fire. It’s not necessarily a building you would know much about if you’re not Danish, but if you’ve ever visited Copenhagen, you would recognize the beautiful spire as an important part of the city skyline, which is now sadly gone. In today’s post, we’ll tell you more about the building, its history, and the recent fire.
What is Børsen?
Børsen means “the bourse” in Danish, which is another word for a stock market or stock exchange. It is one of the oldest buildings in Copenhagen. Børsen was originally built by King Christian IV to help make the capital a center for trade in Northern Europe. At the time, during the 1620s, it was intended to be a place for traders to meet and exchange goods. It then housed the Danish stock market until 1974 and was restored several times over the previous centuries. In more recent years, it has been used as the headquarters for the Danish Chamber of Commerce, a venue for many events, and a home for an art collection.
Børsen’s Architecture and History
Børsen is an example of the Dutch Renaissance architectural style. This style can be seen in several other buildings in and around Copenhagen, including Rosenborg and Frederiksborg castles. This style was popularized in Copenhagen by King Christian IV, who was also known as the “builder king” in Denmark because of his large architectural projects. Features of this type of architecture include high towers, red brick walls, and a copper roof. Børsen is particularly well-known for its tall dragon spire, which consists of four intertwining dragon tails. The spire then is topped with three crowns, representing the three kingdoms of Scandinavia. As is evident by the building’s history and significance, it has been a beautiful and important part of Copenhagen’s skyline for many years.
Fire on April 16, 2024
The historic building managed to survive several fires over the course of its history, but unfortunately, on April 16, a fire broke out that caused the spire and much of the building to collapse. How did this happen? Well, there’s still no clear answer, and there’s no point in speculating. The building was under renovation and the scaffolding caught fire too, making it even more difficult for the fire department to put out the flames. Eventually, the fire was brought under control and parts of the building were saved. In fact, some passersby even went into the building to save some of the valuable art, including P. K. Krøyer’s “From Copenhagen Stock Exchange.” And luckily, nobody got hurt, which is at least one positive side to this terrible event.
The Aftermath
What does the future of Børsen look like? It’s hard to guess, especially since such recognizable parts of the building are gone. However, I’m certain that they’ll find some way to honor the historic Copenhagen landmark, whether that’s by rebuilding it to look the same or designing a new building. The director of the Chamber of Commerce has vowed that it will be rebuilt. The sad thing is that it will be almost 400 years since it was first built, and now it must be rebuilt, but perhaps that’s also a fitting tribute to such a landmark. The future plans for Børsen remain to be seen, but it’s sure to be a massive undertaking for the city of Copenhagen.
Thanks for reading!
We hope you learned something new from our post today. It’s been interesting to write and be able to share some more history about this famous Danish building. Although it’s a sad event, the only thing to do is to move forward and try to rebuild it to honor its history and significance. And hopefully, it means that more people around the world know about the building, so that when you visit Copenhagen you may no longer be able to see the spire in reality, but you can know where it stood and what it meant for the city. Thanks for reading this far – until next time!
Sources
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68834447
https://www.hovedstadshistorie.dk/slotsholmen/boersen/
https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/webfeature/brand-i-borsen-fra-alarm-til-sidste-gloeder
