Frederik X. on the fire at the Old Stock Exchange
The king speaks of a “sad sight”
King Frederik faces tragedy in the Danish capital just three months after his proclamation.
© EastNews/Backgrid
The fire at the Old Stock Exchange in Copenhagen shocked the Danes. King Frederik X thanks all the helpers in a statement.
State of emergency in the Danish capital: Fire broke out in the historical landmark “Børsen” on Tuesday morning (April 16th), the fire department is on site with a large contingent and employees of the National Museum are trying to save as many works of art as possible from the building. The royal family also shares in the disaster that overshadows Queen Margrethe’s 84th birthday party. king Frederik X. (55) addressed the public with a statement.
“Help make Copenhagen the ‘City of Towers'”
In the statement, posted on the royal family’s Instagram page at midday, the monarch wrote: “In the morning we awoke to a sad sight as smoke over the rooftops of Copenhagen witnessed the devastating fire at the Stock Exchange. An important part of ours architectural cultural heritage was and is in flames.” Frederik, who has only been on the throne since January 14, highlighted the value of the building, which has been “an important landmark for Copenhagen” for 400 years. “For generations, the distinctive Dragon Tower has helped make Copenhagen the ‘City of Towers’.” The tower was ablaze and has since collapsed.
“To this day, we consider the historic building a beautiful symbol of our capital and a building of which we are proud as a nation,” the King continued. Then Frederik emphasized that he and his wife Queen Mary (52) would like to thank everyone “who has made sure since early morning that no one was injured and who fought to preserve both the building and the many cultural treasures and works of art, that the stock market contains as much as possible”.
Police reported that many buildings around Slotsholmgade, where the Old Stock Exchange is located, were evacuated, including the Ministry of Finance. The area was largely cordoned off. Christiansborg Palace is also nearby, where Frederik was proclaimed king after his mother Margrethe abdicated. Like, among others, the Danish newspaper “BT”. reported that parts of the castle were also evacuated. In the southern half is the Danish Parliament with MPs’ offices.
The devastating fire, which is already being compared in Denmark to the Notre Dame drama in Paris in 2019, broke out on Queen Margrethe’s 84th birthday. It is her first special day of royal retirement, which she is spending in private at Fredensborg Castle on the island of Zealand. A birthday concert was to take place at noon as part of the changing of the guard. But because of the accident, the palace decided not to do so, according to “BT”. Nevertheless, the queen, who retained her title even after her abdication, showed herself to those waiting at the castle. Accompanied by Frederik, Mary and her sister Benediktine (79), she waved from the balcony.
It is not yet known how the major fire in Copenhagen came about. The building, built in the 17th century, is currently being restored and is therefore covered in scaffolding. It served as a commodity exchange until around 1800 and was the headquarters of the Copenhagen Fund Exchange until 1974. Today the “Børsen” serves, among other things, as an office building and houses a large art collection.