Børsen

Historic building in Copenhagen, Denmark

For the newspaper, see Dagbladet Børsen. For the modern Danish stock exchange, see Copenhagen Stock Exchange. For the Norwegian stock exchange, see Oslo Stock Exchange.

This article may be affected by the following current event: Børsen fire. Information in this article may change rapidly as the event progresses. Initial news reports may be unreliable. The last updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. Please feel free to improve this article (but note that updates without valid and reliable references will be removed) or discuss changes on the talk page. (April 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

|

Børsen

The building located in Copenhagen, Denmark, before the spire and roof were destroyed in the 2024 fire.

General information
Status| Damaged by fire
Architectural style| Dutch renaissance
Town or city| Copenhagen
Country| Denmark
Coordinates|  DK-84 55°40′32″N 12°35′2″E﻿ / ﻿55.67556°N 12.58389°E﻿ / 55.67556; 12.58389
Construction started| 1619
Completed| 1640
Renovated| 1745
1855
Client| Christian IV
Owner| Danish Chamber of Commerce
Design and construction
Architect(s)| Lorenz van Steenwinckel and Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger
Renovating team
Architect(s)| Nicolai Eigtved (1745)
Harald Conrad Stilling (1855)

Børsen (Danish for "the bourse"), also known as Børsbygningen ("the bourse building"), is a damaged 17th-century stock exchange in the centre of Copenhagen. The historic building is situated next to Christiansborg Palace, the seat of the Danish Parliament, on the island of Slotsholmen.

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]

Børsen, a popular tourist attraction, 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]

## History[edit]

Børsen painted by H.G.F. Holm, c. 1823

Børsen seen with Højbro Bridge in the foreground

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). 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] 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 building was restored by Nicolai Eigtved in 1745.[6]

### 19th and 20th centuries[edit]

The interior of the building was renovated in 1855, and the interior was renovated by architect Harald Conrad Stilling.[7] In 1857, Frederick VII sold the building to Grosserer-Societetet[4] for 70,000 rigsdaler.[5]

The building housed the Danish stock-market until 1974. In 1918, unemployed anarchists attacked Børsen, an attack that went into the Danish history books as stormen på Børsen (Storm on the Stock Exchange).[8]

### 21st century[edit]

As of 2018, the building serves as the headquarters of the Danish Chamber of Commerce (Dansk Erhverv).[9]

#### 2024 fire[edit]

Main article: Børsen fire

Fire at Børsen, 16 April 2024

On 16 April 2024, a fire during renovation work in the main building's copper roof resulted in the collapse of its iconic Dragespir (translated: Dragon Spire). About half of the building was destroyed due to the fire. With additional machinery the roof was removed, as it was stopping water from reaching the fire.[10] There were no casualties.[11] Historic paintings[11] and historic furniture[10] were rescued from the burning building.

Brian Mikkelsen, CEO of the Danish Chamber of Commerce, which owns the building, said that it would be rebuilt.[12] The fire was compared to the Notre-Dame fire five years earlier.[10]

## Cultural references[edit]

* Børsen is the location where Holm-Hansen hands the Bedford Diamonds over to an Arabian sheik in the 1974 Olsen-banden film The Last Exploits of the Olsen Gang.[13]

## See also[edit]

* Nasdaq Copenhagen
* Slotsholmsgade
* Danish Brotherhood in America Headquarters
* Construction and renovation fires
* List of building or structure fires
* List of destroyed heritage

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Sag: Børsen". Fredede og bevaringsværdige bygninger. Kulturstyrelsen. Archived from the original on 26 April 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
2. ^ "LIVE Brand i Børsen i København". DR (in Danish). 16 April 2024. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
3. ^ a b c "The History". Børsbygningen. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
4. ^ a b Børsbygningen.dk, ejet af Dansk Erhverv – The Danish Chamber of Commerce Archived 2018-07-20 at the Wayback Machine hentet 8. maj 2021
5. ^ a b Green, Theodor (2019). Børsen i København. Lindhardt og Ringhof. ISBN 978-8726296501.
6. ^ "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.
7. ^ G. F. Hetsch (1 January 1928). "To Breve fra Architekten, Professor G. F. Hetsch til Architekten H. C. Stilling [1815-1891]. Meddelt af Gustav Hetsch". Personalhistorisk Tidsskrift (in Danish): 4–13. ISSN 0300-3655. Wikidata Q107323506.
8. ^ "Børsen, Stormen på (1918)" (in Danish). Leksikon.org. Archived from the original on 12 March 2007. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
9. ^ "Danish Chamber of Commerce". www.danskerhverv.dk. Danish Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
10. ^ a b c Halasz, Stephanie; Mortensen, Antonia; Said-Moorhouse, Lauren (16 April 2024). "Spire collapses after fire rips through Copenhagen's old stock exchange". CNN. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
11. ^ a b Kirby, Paul (16 April 2024). "Historic Copenhagen stock exchange in Denmark goes up in flames". BBC. BBC News. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
12. ^ Milne, Richard (16 April 2024). "Denmark's historic stock exchange goes up in flames". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
13. ^ "Film 6 Olsen Bandens sidste bedrifter / Der (voraussichtlich) letzte Streich der Olsenbande". olsenbande-homepage.de (in German). Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2017.

## External links[edit]

* Media related to Børsen at Wikimedia Commons

* v
* t
* e

Copenhagen

See also: Urban area of Copenhagen

Official districts|

* Amager Vest
* Amager Øst
* Bispebjerg
* Brønshøj-Husum
* Indre By
* Nørrebro
* Østerbro
* Valby
* Vanløse
* Vesterbro/Kongens Enghave

Notable localities
and neighbourhoods|

* Indre By
* Bellahøj
* Carlsberg
* Christiania
* Christianshavn
* Frederiksberg
* Frederiksstaden
* Holmen
* Islands Brygge
* Kongens Nytorv
* Nyboder
* Nyhavn
* Slotsholmen

Parks and open spaces|

* Amager Strandpark
* Assistens Cemetery
* Frederiksberg Gardens
* Kastellet
* Kongens Have
* Superkilen

Churches|

* St. Alban's
* Alexander Nevsky Church
* St. Andrew's
* Anna Church
* St. Ansgar's Cathedral
* St. Augustine's
* Bernstorff Palace
* Bethlehem Church
* Brorson's Church
* Christian's Church
* Christ Church
* Elijah's Church
* Frederik's Church
* Frederiksberg Church
* Godthaab Church
* Grundtvig's Church
* Gustaf Church
* Hans Tausen's Church
* Holmen Church
* Holy Ghost Church
* Immanuel Church
* Isaiah Church
* St. James's
* Jerusalem's Church
* Jesus Church
* St. John's Church
* Kildevæld Church
* St. Luke's Church
* Mariendal Church
* St. Mark's
* St. Matthew's
* Nathanael's Church
* St. Paul's
* St. Peter's
* Philip's Church
* Reformed Church
* Church of Our Saviour
* Simon Peter's Church
* Solbjerg Church
* Sundby Church
* Trinitatis Church
* Zion's Church

Museums|

* Cisternerne
* Amber Museum
* Danish Design Centre
* Danish Museum of Art & Design
* Danish Revue Museum
* Fotografisk Center
* University of Copenhagen Geological Museum
* Hirschsprung Collection
* Jewish Museum
* Kastrupgård
* Kunsthal Charlottenborg
* Medical Museion
* Museum of Copenhagen
* National Museum of Denmark
* National Museum of Photography
* Natural History Museum of Denmark
* North Atlantic House
* Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek
* Police Museum
* Revue Museum
* Royal Danish Naval Museum
* National Gallery of Denmark
* Storm P. Museum
* Tycho Brahe Planetarium
* War Museum

Landmarks|

* Amalienborg
* Børsen
* 2024 fire
* Charlottenborg Palace
* Christiansborg Palace
* Copenhagen City Hall
* Harbour Baths
* Fortifications
* Frederiksberg Palace
* Hotel Astoria
* Kongens Nytorv
* Lakes
* Langelinie
* The Little Mermaid
* Medicon Valley
* Nørreport Station
* Opera House
* Øresund Bridge
* Palace Hotel
* Radisson Blu Royal Hotel
* Rosenborg Castle
* Royal Danish Playhouse
* Royal Library
* Tivoli Gardens

Politics and administration|

* Capital Region
* Copenhagen Municipality
* Lord mayors of Copenhagen
* Frederiksberg Municipality

Education|

* Copenhagen Business School
* Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Schools of Architecture, Design and Conservation
* Technical University of Denmark
* University of Copenhagen
* UCC

Transport|

* Copenhagen Airport
* Copenhagen Central Station
* Copenhagen Metro
* S-train
* Cycling (Super Bikeways)

* Districts
* History
* Lists
* Transport

Category
*[c.]: circa
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template