One ofEurope’s most renowned structures is collapsing after being swallowed up in flames in the early hours of this early morning.
TheOldStockExchange– described as theNotreDame ofDenmark– is on fire.
Footage reveals the historical structure Børsen inCopenhagen burning.
Its distinct56- metre spire, formed as the tails of 4 dragons twined together, is seen swallowed up in flames minutes before its collapse.
Plumes of grey smoke are filling the sky above theDanish capital as individuals who were on their method to work collected at the scene, viewing in shock as one of their leading traveler destinations burns.
The inferno, simply minutes far from federal government structures, can be identified from
miles away inCopenhagen
Emergency services came to the scene and immediate work is underway to save all the popular art work saved at theOldStockExchange
Authorities are seen performing several paintings– one by one– as the inferno raves.Passers- by likewise entered to assist recover whatever they can.
Danish culture minister,JakobEngel-Schmidt, tweeted:‘Terrible pictures from the Stock Exchange this morning. 400 years of Danish cultural heritage in flames.’
.
KingFrederik composed onInstagram that he‘woke up to a sad sight’ of‘an important part of our architectural heritage’ being damaged by the flames.
Prime minister Mette Frederiksen wrote that ‘irreplaceable cultural heritage’ and ‘a piece of Danish history is on fire’. ‘It hurts to see,’ he added.
Employers’ association Dansk Erhverv, which are based in the Børsen, said: ‘We are faced with a terrible sight.
‘The stock market is on fire. Everyone is asked to stay away from the area around Slotsholmen. The fire authorities are on the scene.’
Police have blocked multiple roads in central Copenhagen and people are being urged to avoid the scene.
Firefighters are continuing to fight the inferno, but there are fears it could spread.
What is the Børsen, Copenhagen’s stock exhange?
Børsen, or ‘the Exchange’ in Danish, is nearly 400 years old, making it one of the oldest buildings in Copenhagen.
Over the years, it has been used as a marketplace, commodity exchange hall and currently the Danish Chamber of Commerce office.
Construction started in 1619 on the orders of King Christian IV and was largely completed about five years later – its now iconic spire was installed in 1625.
With four dragon tails twisting around it, the ‘Dragespir’ is topped by three crowns symbolising the Scandinavian empire – Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
According to local legend, the dragons have guarded the Børsen against enemy fire.
Even when fights and fires broke out elsewhere, such as a fire engulfing the Proviantgaarden in 1990, the hall was seemingly always spared.
Home to priceless paintings, such as Peder Krøyer’s From the Copenhagen Stock Exchange (Study) which was saved from today’s blaze, it’s been largely closed to the public.
Only those with invites to galas, conferences and parties or the odd guided tour have been lucky enough to go inside.
The finance ministry, and residencies are being evacuated as a result.
Police said on X: ‘We are now in the process of evacuating the buildings from the Ministry of Finance and down towards the water. Work continues to reroute the traffic around Slotsholmen.’
The cause of the fire remains unknown, but Jakob Vedsted Andersen, director of emergencies at Hovedstadens Beredskab, said that Børsen is a construction that makes extinguishing work very difficult.
Andersen added that flames spread from the basement to the attic in the center of the building.
Ambulances are also at the scene but there were no reports of casualties.
This is a developing news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.
Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter andFacebook for the most recent news updates.You can now likewise getMetro co.uk short articles sent out directly to your gadget.Sign up for our day-to-day push informs here.
MORE:HarryKane can condemnArsenal toChampions(*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** )gloom by shooting(********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** )Munich into the semi-finals.
MORE:GordonRamsay‘serves papers’ to squatters in ₤13,000,000 club who‘opened community cafe’
MORE:Family flies toDenmark for24 hours to go to initialLegoland– for ₤200 less than UK resort.
Get your need-to-know. most current news, feel-good stories, analysis and more
This website is secured by reCAPTCHA and theGooglePrivacyPolicy and(
***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************) ofService use.
.
