Built under the reign of Christian IV in 1619–1640, the building is considered a leading example of the Dutch Renaissance style in Denmark. It is a protected building for conservation purposes.[1] A popular tourist attraction, Børsen was most noted for its distinctive spire, shaped as the tails of four dragons twined together, reaching a height of 56 m (184 ft). On 16 April 2024, the building was severely damaged by a fire, which toppled the spire.[2]
Børsen was planned by Christian IV as part of his plan to strengthen Copenhagen's role as a centre for trade and commerce in Northern Europe. A site on the north side of the embankment which connected Copenhagen to the new market town Christianshavn, which was planned on reclaimed land off the coast of Amager. The king charged Lorenz van Steenwinckel with the design of the new building, but Steenwinckel died shortly thereafter. The assignment was then passed on to his brother, Hans van Steenwinckel.[3]
The site first had to be prepared since the embankment had not yet stabilized. Construction of the building began in 1620 and was largely completed in 1624 with the exception of the spire (installed in 1625) and details of the east gable (completed in 1640).[4] The building contained 40 trading offices at the ground floor and one large room at the upper floor. The building was in use as a marketplace during the late 1620s.[3]
In 1647, Christian IV sold the building to the merchant Jacob Madsen for 50,000 Danish rigsdaler.[5]Frederick III later reacquired the building from Madsen's widow, who could no longer afford to maintain the building.[3]
The severely damaged building and scaffolding on 18 April, two days after the 2024 fire
On 16 April 2024, a fire during renovation work in the main building's copper roof destroyed about half of the building and resulted in the collapse of its iconic Dragespir ("Dragon Spire").[10] There were no casualties.[11] Børsen survived several earlier fires that occurred nearby: Christiansborg Palace burned down several times, the neighbouring building Privatbanken has been on fire, and the same happened to ProviantgårdeninSlotsholmsgade in 1992. The scaffolding around the building also caught fire, making it harder for firefighters to reach the flames,[12] while the copper roof contained the heat.[13] Military personnel were also on site to support firefighting efforts. Additional machinery was deployed to help remove the roof, as it was preventing water from reaching the fire.[12] The facades were in danger of collapsing while the fire burned,[13] as the building is mostly made of wood.[14] A part of the north facade and a part of the west gable eventually collapsed on 18 April.[15]
Brian Mikkelsen, CEO of the Danish Chamber of Commerce, which owns the building, said that it would be rebuilt "no matter what".[22][23] Denmark's Deputy Prime Minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, called the fire "our own Notre Dame moment". The fire occurred five years and one day after the Notre-Dame fire in Paris, another renovation fire which also destroyed the building's roof and spire.[12] King Frederik X released a statement, saying that the fire was "a sad sight [...] For 400 years, Christian IV's edifice, Børsen, has been a distinctive landmark of Copenhagen."[24]
The building was known for its twisted "Dragon Spire," which was from 1625[26] and was designed as four intertwining dragon tails. The spire had three crowns atop, symbolizing the kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. In 1775, a new spire was erected somewhat similar to the old one because there was a risk of it collapsing. The dragons that made up the spire, designed by the fireworks master of Christian IV, were supposed to protect the building from enemies and fire.[4]
Børsen housed several artworks, including a large number of portraits, both individual portraits and group portraits, as well as Lorenz Frølich's four cartoons in charcoal drawing depicting four virtues: work, justice, courage, and love. But foremost was P. S. Krøyer's large group portrait From Copenhagen Stock Exchange and also a new version of the exchange painting by Thomas Kluge with the 13 committee members from the Chamber of Commerce.[28] Additionally, there was C. F. Høyer's painting Christian IV giver Tyge Brahe en guldkæde from 1810, a MarinebilledebyAnton Melbye from 1863, SøstykkerbyChristian Mølsted from 1890, and Badende ved strandenbyWilliam Scharff from 1939.
During the April 2024 fire, a number of historic art pieces dating back centuries, including Peder Severin Krøyer's 1895 group portrait, were rescued by staff and members of the public. The artworks have been temporarily moved to the parliament building as well as the Danish National Archives.[29][30]
^"Hvor langt skal man spole tilbage?". www.arkitektforeningen.dk. Arkitektforeningen – Danish Association of Architects. 14 March 2024. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
^Slots- og Kulturstyrelsens register over Fredede og Bevaringsværdige Bygninger i Danmark (12 December 2019). "Børsen, København". lex.dk (in Danish). Trap Danmark. Archived from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
^"Børsen". Dansk Erhverv (in Danish). Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
Media related to Børsen at Wikimedia Commons
