A fire broke out in one of Copenhagen’s oldest buildings, the 17th-century Old Stock Exchange, on Tuesday, destroying about half of the structure and causing its iconic dragon-tail spire to collapse. The blaze started on the building’s roof during renovations, but the exact cause is still unknown.
The Old Stock Exchange, with its distinctive red-brick facade, green copper roof, and 56-meter (184-foot) spire shaped like four intertwined dragon tails, is a major tourist attraction located next to Denmark’s parliament in the heart of the capital. As the fire engulfed the spire and sent it crashing onto the building, which was covered in scaffolding, passersby rushed to help emergency services save priceless paintings and other valuables.
”A piece of Danish history is on fire,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen wrote on Instagram, saying that it hurt to see the loss of such “irreplaceable cultural heritage.”
Ambulances were on the scene, but no deaths have been reported.
Take a look —
A massive fire ripped through Copenhagen's Old Stock Exchange, engulfing its spire which then collapsed onto the roof https://t.co/6k2jsQQQzD pic.twitter.com/Xp4kDWiKCO
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 16, 2024
A fire raged through one of the oldest buildings in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Tuesday, causing the collapse of the iconic spire of the 17th-century Old Stock Exchange. Roughly half of the building was destroyed. https://t.co/BwM1VitefP pic.twitter.com/yPXKDlON2w
— ABC News (@ABC) April 16, 2024
Danish Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt praised the efforts of the everyday people in helping the first responders carry huge works of art to safety. He called the effort “touching.”
Among the pieces that had been on display was a large painting by Danish artist P.S. Krøyer called “From Copenhagen Stock Exchange,” completed in 1895. Although no information has been released about which works of art were saved from the blaze, video footage appeared to show the Krøyer painting being removed.
Brian Mikkelsen, chief of the Danish Chamber of Commerce, which owns the building and is headquartered there, described the fire as a “national disaster.” Firefighters said it could take up to 24 hours to secure the scene, and police stated that it was too early to determine the cause of the fire.
The Old Stock Exchange, built in 1615, is considered a prime example of the Dutch Renaissance style, despite the location being Danish rather than Dutch.
The future of the structure is uncertain, but the culture minister has pledged to do everything possible to ensure that “the dragon spire will once again tower over Copenhagen.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article.