Landmark building in Copenhagen on fire
April 16, 2024 2:39 AM Subscribe
Old Stock Exchange Building from 17th Century burns Yet another building renovation gone wrong.
Wow. I was in Copenhagen last week and walked past this building many times -- it seemed like lots of the city is under wraps at the moment with renovations and works going on. There are so many beautiful and important historic buildings, it's such a shame to see another one damaged like this. The spire in particular is a big loss, what a beautiful piece of architecture.
posted by fight or flight at 3:02 AM on April 16 [2 favorites]
posted by fight or flight at 3:02 AM on April 16 [2 favorites]
What a shame; that spire was really something. Fire is the eternal enemy of cities.
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:26 AM on April 16 [3 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:26 AM on April 16 [3 favorites]
Yet another building renovation gone wrong.
"The cause of the fire in Copenhagen is also for the moment unknown"
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 4:29 AM on April 16 [1 favorite]
"The cause of the fire in Copenhagen is also for the moment unknown"
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 4:29 AM on April 16 [1 favorite]
The people running in to save paintings made me feel things
posted by thegirlwiththehat at 4:54 AM on April 16 [9 favorites]
posted by thegirlwiththehat at 4:54 AM on April 16 [9 favorites]
I cried when I saw the news. Actually I'm crying again now.
I thought about going in there because it is a historical moment, but no-one wants to stand in the way of the fire fighters.
The architecture of that period, Christian IV, is iconic and very much part of Copenhagen's identity, but at the same time, we don't really know a lot about it. Many of the works, including Børsen, were disfigured during the 19th century due to misguided restauration projects. The repairs going on were restoring the original brickwork which had been replaced by a cement-based cover during the 1880s. But we don't understand much about the decorative scheme of hundreds of unique sandstone figures that each represented something in a newly protestant and deeply superstitious context. Christian IV had hundreds of women burnt as witches when his sister Anne was stuck in storms on her way to marry James I of England.
Børsen was one of many projects Christian started during his reimagining of Copenhagen as a Jerusalem of the North, which also included housing for sailors, a huge unfinished cathedral, a whole new merchant area, an observatory with a church attached, a garden palace, huge warehouses and much more that has been lost.
posted by mumimor at 5:32 AM on April 16 [27 favorites]
I thought about going in there because it is a historical moment, but no-one wants to stand in the way of the fire fighters.
The architecture of that period, Christian IV, is iconic and very much part of Copenhagen's identity, but at the same time, we don't really know a lot about it. Many of the works, including Børsen, were disfigured during the 19th century due to misguided restauration projects. The repairs going on were restoring the original brickwork which had been replaced by a cement-based cover during the 1880s. But we don't understand much about the decorative scheme of hundreds of unique sandstone figures that each represented something in a newly protestant and deeply superstitious context. Christian IV had hundreds of women burnt as witches when his sister Anne was stuck in storms on her way to marry James I of England.
Børsen was one of many projects Christian started during his reimagining of Copenhagen as a Jerusalem of the North, which also included housing for sailors, a huge unfinished cathedral, a whole new merchant area, an observatory with a church attached, a garden palace, huge warehouses and much more that has been lost.
posted by mumimor at 5:32 AM on April 16 [27 favorites]
"The cause of the fire in Copenhagen is also for the moment unknown"
Sounds like hot work:
https://nyheder.tv2.dk/samfund/2024-04-16-ti-kobbersmede-var-paa-taget-da-alarmen-gik-nogle-graed-da-de-kom-ned
posted by groda at 5:52 AM on April 16 [1 favorite]
Sounds like hot work:
https://nyheder.tv2.dk/samfund/2024-04-16-ti-kobbersmede-var-paa-taget-da-alarmen-gik-nogle-graed-da-de-kom-ned
posted by groda at 5:52 AM on April 16 [1 favorite]
This makes me sad too. I hope they're able to repair and rebuild.
posted by gentlyepigrams at 9:37 AM on April 16
posted by gentlyepigrams at 9:37 AM on April 16
I assume it's open flames (soldering, etc) in an old building. So many terrible fires. It's got to be preventable.
posted by jjj606 at 9:58 AM on April 16
posted by jjj606 at 9:58 AM on April 16
According to the evening news, the spire was allegedly made of dragons to protect the building against fire. (It worked well for four hundred years).
It was the seat of the Danish Chamber of Commerce. The only positive thing to note, I think, is that the building was under restoration, and had therefore just been thoroughly photographed and documented, which should be invaluable, if the building is rebuilt.
posted by bouvin at 10:39 AM on April 16 [2 favorites]
It was the seat of the Danish Chamber of Commerce. The only positive thing to note, I think, is that the building was under restoration, and had therefore just been thoroughly photographed and documented, which should be invaluable, if the building is rebuilt.
posted by bouvin at 10:39 AM on April 16 [2 favorites]
Recent news updates (in Danish, but the footage speaks for itself).
The fire is under control, but it looks like the roof and parts of the outer walls have collapsed. Nobody has been injured.
The fire is under control, but it looks like the roof and parts of the outer walls have collapsed. Nobody has been injured.
The damage is – albeit not total – very extensive, says task leader Tim Ole Simonsen.posted by fight or flight at 9:56 AM on April 18 [1 favorite]
"What has collapsed now has fallen into a fire pit, so the damage could hardly be greater. I cannot describe it other than that it is a partial ruin," he says.
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posted by WalkingAround at 2:57 AM on April 16