Copenhagen Stock Exchange fire: Culture minister says 400 years of culture 'up in flames'

Residents in Copenhagen have been left reeling after a blaze tore through an iconic building this morning with some comparing it to the Notre Dame inferno.

The historic Børsen building – or the Old Stock Exchange – was built in 1625, making it one of the Danish capital’s oldest buildings. Terrifying footage from the scene showed its famous spire toppling to the ground after the blaze started at around 8am local time (7am GMT) this morning. The thick plumes of smoke rising from the building could be seen across Copenhagen, with many locals gathering outside to mourn the loss of the heritage site.

Denmark’s Minister for Culture Jakob Engel-Schmidt took to Twitter to lament over the “terrible pictures” circulating of the fire. He said: “How touching it is to experience how the employees at Børsen, good people from the emergency services and passing Copenhageners collaborate[d] to save art treasures and iconic images from the burning building.”

The blaze erupted at around 7am GMT

A number of images from this morning showed workers going back in to the burning building to retrieve apparently priceless artworks from the lower floors. Engel-Schmidt added: “Terrifying images from Børsen this morning. 400 years of Danish cultural heritage in flames.” In a separate radio interview, he added that it’s “almost unbearable”.

A local resident who was passing by the ruined building today told state broadcaster DR: “It’s horrible. It was one of the city’s most beautiful buildings. I pass by here every day It’s Notre Dame all over again.” Back in 2019, Notre Dame cathedral in Paris narrowly avoided complete destruction when the 850-year monument was almost obliterated by a searing inferno.

Local residents reportedly cried as they watched the historic building go up in flames

The world watched aghast as the cathedral that took hundreds of years to build looked as though it could collapse completely. The nine-century-old structure was saved from total devastation by the efforts of more than 500 firefighters who battled the inferno for hours, gaining control of the blaze in time to save its two world-renowned towers.

The Danish Chamber of Commerce, which owns the building, said: “We are met with a terrible sight. The stock market is on fire. We ask everyone to stay away from the area around Slotsholmen.” Danish Culture Minister said that 400 years of the country’s cultural heritage had gone up in flames today after seeing the “terrible pictures”.

Firefighters are working to bring the flames under control

The building – which dates back to 1625 making it one of the city’s oldest – is currently undergoing renovations to return the facade to its original design. There had been scaffolding in place before the fire. The Stock Exchange is topped with a dragon-tailed spire which, according to legend, is said to guard it against enemy attacks and fire. Before today, there were several instances when the property was spared from fire damage after infernos broke out in nearby buildings, according to Visit Copenhagen.

Neighbouring Christiansborg Palace – which is now the Danish Parliament – has been gutted by flames on several occasions. In 1990, the fire rapidly spread but the Old Stock Exchange managed to escape the flames. Nowadays, the building is hired out for fancy dinners, conferences, parties and other events. It’s not open to the general public.