( Danish for "the bourse" or "the stock exchange"), is a 17th-century commodity bourse and later

stock exchange A stock exchange, securities exchange, or bourse is an exchange where stockbrokers and traders can buy and sell securities, such as shares of stock, bonds and other financial instruments. Stock exchanges may also provide facilities for ...

in the centre of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, Denmark. The historic building is situated next to

Christiansborg Palace Christiansborg Palace (, ) is a palace and government building on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the seat of the Danish Parliament (), the Danish Prime Minister's Office, and the Supreme Court of Denmark. Also ...

, the seat of the

Danish Parliament The Folketing ( , ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark — Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands and Greenland. E ...

, on the island of

Slotsholmen Slotsholmen (English language, English: The Castle Islet) is an island in the harbour of Copenhagen, Denmark, and part of Copenhagen Indre By, Inner City. The name is taken from the successive castles and palaces located on the island since Absal ...

. Built under the reign of

Christian IV Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is the longest in Scandinavian history. A member of the H ...

in 1619–1640, the building is considered a leading example of the

Dutch Renaissance The Renaissance in the Low Countries was a cultural period in the Northern Renaissance that took place in around the 16th century in the Low Countries (corresponding to modern-day Belgium, the Netherlands and French Flanders). Culture in the Low ...

style in

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. It is a protected building for conservation purposes. A popular

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural beaut ...

, Børsen is most noted for its distinctive

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spire ...

, shaped as the tails of four

dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

s twined together, reaching a height of . On 16 April 2024, the building was severely damaged by a fire, which toppled the spire.

History

Børsen was planned by

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 Christianshavn () is a neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark. Part of the Indre By District, it is located on several artificial islands between the islands of Zealand and Amager and separated from the rest of the city centre by the Inner Harbour, ...

, which was planned on reclaimed land off the coast of

Amager Amager ( ), located in the Øresund, is Denmark's most densely populated island, with more than 216,000 inhabitants (January 2022). The protected natural area of ''Naturpark Amager'' (including Kalvebod Fælled) makes up more than one-third of the ...

. 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.

17th and 18th centuries

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).Børsbygningen.dk, ejet af Dansk Erhverv – The Danish Chamber of Commerce
hentet 8. maj 2021 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. In 1647, Christian IV sold the building to the merchant Jacob Madsen for 50,000

Danish rigsdaler The rigsdaler was the name of several currencies used in Denmark until 1875. The similarly named Reichsthaler, riksdaler and rijksdaalder were used in Germany and Austria-Hungary, Sweden and the Netherlands, respectively. These currencies were of ...

. Frederick III later reacquired the building from Madsen's widow, who could no longer afford to maintain the building. The building was restored by

Nicolai Eigtved Nicolai Eigtved (4 June 1701 – 7 June 1754), also known as Niels Eigtved, was a Denmark, Danish architect. He introduced and was the leading proponent of the French rococo or late baroque style in Danish architecture during the 1730s–1740s. ...

in 1745.

19th and 20th centuries

The interior of the building was renovated in 1855, and the interior was renovated by architect Harald Conrad Stilling. In 1857, Frederick VII sold the building to Grosserer-Societetet for 70,000 rigsdaler. On 11 February 1918, due to rising inequality, unemployed anarchists stormed Børsen, attacking stockbrokers. The building housed the Danish stock market until 1974.

21st century

As of 2024, the building served as the headquarters of the Danish Chamber of Commerce ().

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 ("Dragon Spire"). There were no casualties. Børsen survived several earlier fires that occurred nearby: burned down several times, the neighbouring building has been on fire, and the same happened to in in 1992. The scaffolding around the building also caught fire, making it harder for firefighters to reach the flames, while the copper roof contained the heat. 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. The facades were in danger of collapsing while the fire burned, as the building is mostly made of wood. A part of the north facade and a part of the west gable eventually collapsed on 18 April. "Several hundred" historic artworks from the building's substantial collection, as well as historic furniture, were rescued from the burning building by staff, emergency workers, and passers-by. Among them were the paintings '' From Copenhagen Stock Exchange'' by Skagen Painter Peder Severin Krøyer and by Thomas Kluge. However, a two-tonne bust of King

Christian IV of Denmark Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and King of Norway, Norway and List of rulers of Schleswig-Holstein, Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is th ...

was lost. The nearby

National Museum A national museum can be a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In the United States, most nati ...

immediately sent 25 employees to help retrieve the art. Brian Mikkelsen, CEO of the Danish Chamber of Commerce, which owns the building, said that it would be rebuilt "no matter what". Denmark's Deputy Prime Minister,

Troels Lund Poulsen Troels Lund Poulsen (born 30 March 1976) is a Danish politician, who is the Deputy Prime Minister of Denmark and leader of . He also serves as Minister of Defence. He previously served as Minister for the Environment from 2007 to 2010, Minist ...

, called the fire "our own Notre Dame moment". The fire occurred five years and one day after the

Notre-Dame fire On 15 April 2019, at 18:18 Central European Summer Time, CEST, a structural fire broke out in the roof space of Notre-Dame de Paris, a medieval Catholic cathedral in Paris, France. The fire, which investigators believe was started by a ...

in Paris, another renovation fire which also destroyed the building's roof and spire. King

Frederik X Frederik X (Frederik André Henrik Christian, ; born 26 May 1968) is King of Denmark. He acceded to the throne following Abdication of Margrethe II, his mother's abdication in 2024. Frederik is the eldest son of Margrethe II and Prince Henri ...

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." Reconstruction works on the building began on 26 September 2024, with King Frederik X laying a foundation stone. On 12 November 2024, police ruled out criminal acts as a cause of the fire, adding that it could not determine the exact cause.

Architecture

Børsen was constructed by the architects Lorenz van Steenwinckel and

Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger (24 June 1587 – 6 August 1639) was a Flemish- Danish architect who specialised in the Dutch Renaissance style, typical of prestigious Danish buildings from the first half of the 17th century. Along with hi ...

. It is approximately long and wide. The building was known for its twisted "Dragon Spire," which was from 1625 and was designed as four intertwining

tails. The spire had three crowns atop, symbolizing the kingdoms of Denmark,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

, and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. 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 Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...

master of Christian IV, were supposed to protect the building from enemies and fire. There have been some minor changes over time. File:Børsen from Christiansborg Palace 20180721-4.jpg, Børsen seen from the tower of Christiansborg File:Børsen - Dragespiret.jpg, Base of the spire File:Børsen vest 2009.jpg, Western facade of Børsen File:Børssalen.jpg, Børssalen File:Top of the stock exchange tower.jpg, Top of the stock exchange tower in Copenhagen. File:Roof of the stock exchange.jpg, Tower of the stock exchange in Copenhagen (2021) File:Copenhagen Stock Exchange.jpg, Copenhagen Stock Exchange, part of the tower File:Copenhagen Stock Exchange, part of the tower.jpg, Copenhagen Stock Exchange, part of the tower

Featured artworks

Børsen housed several artworks, including a large number of portraits, both individual portraits and group portraits, as well as Lorenz Frølich's four

cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently Animation, animated, in an realism (arts), unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or s ...

s 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. Additionally, there was C. F. Høyer's painting from 1810, a by Anton Melbye from 1863, by Christian Mølsted from 1890, and ''Badende ved stranden'' by William 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. File:Børsen - Neptune.jpg, Statue of Neptune at the left side of the ramp File:Mercury (Børsen) 02.jpg, Statue of Mercury at the right side of the ramp File:Pejs i Børsen 2.jpg, Fireplace File:Pejs i Børsen.jpg, Fireplace File:Fliden.jpg, Diligence File:Klogskaben.jpg, Wisdom File:Modet.jpg, Courage File:Retfærdigheden.jpg, Justice

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Borsen 1640 establishments in Denmark Brick buildings and structures in Denmark Buildings and structures completed in 1640 Buildings and structures in Copenhagen Financial history of Denmark Renaissance architecture in Copenhagen Stock exchange buildings Tourist attractions in Copenhagen Slotsholmen Burned buildings and structures in Europe