As Paris celebrated five years of recovery since its Notre Dame Cathedral erupted into flames, Copenhagen experienced its own blaze of tragedy at a historic building. The Danish city’s old stock exchange building, which dates back to the 17th century, erupted into flames on Tuesday in what onlookers could only describe as a tragedy.
“This is our Notre Dame,” a local craftsman told Danish TV, according to CBS News partner BBC.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, but the flames have ravaged the historic building. The old stock exchange, otherwise known as Børsen, dates back to 1625 and is one of Copenhagen’s oldest buildings, the website maintained by Danish Tourist Offices says.
Included in the damage is the building’s iconic spire, which legends say protects the building “against enemy attacks and fires,” according to the tourism site. The spire, which was designed in the shape of entwined dragons’ tails, stood at 184 feet tall.
“The Old Stock Exchange has many times been mysteriously spared from damage when fires have broken out in neighbouring (sic) buildings,” the site says.
But on Tuesday, it fell. Video from the Associated Press shows the spire crashing down.
“This morning, we woke up to a sad sight, as smoke over the roofs of Copenhagen gave evidence of the destructive fire at Børsen,” Frederik X, the king of Denmark, said in a statement on Tuesday. “An important part of our architectural cultural heritage was and continues to be in flames.”
He said Børsen has remained a “distinctive landmark of Copenhagen” for generations.
“Until today, we have considered the historic building as a beautiful symbol of our capital and a structure that we, as a nation, have been proud of.”
This is a developing story.
