A far cry from the stock exchanges of today, Copenhagen’s Børsen, or Old Stock Exchange, was an integral part of an average trader’s livelihood in the 17th century. One of the city’s oldest buildings, the stock exchange which operated here until 1974 was akin to a marketplace where entrepreneurs would come and trade commodities such as grain. Constructed in Renaissance architectural style during the reign of Christian IV, the building was a testament to the king’s desire to cement Copenhagen as the trade and commerce hub in Northern Europe. The distinctive feature of the building is that it is topped with its signature dragon spire, made up of four dragons and three crowns. The tails of the dragons are entwined, giving an additional height of 56 m to the building. While the interior is not open for exploration, the Børsen can still be admired from the outside, giving you some insight into what sellers in the past would see before they began their day of trading.