Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt today visited the National September 11 Memorial, where she handed over a Danish flag found in the ruins of the World Trade Center, to the National September 11 Memorial Museum.

The Prime Minister also laid flowers by the Survivor Tree and participated in a moment of silence to commemorate the victims of 9/11.

“September 11 remains one of the darkest days in modern history and we must never forget,” Prime Minister Thorning-Schmidt said.  “On behalf of Denmark, it is important for me to be here today to pay my respect to the victims their families, and to the survivors of the 9/11 attacks.  And it is my great honor, on behalf of the people of Denmark, to hand over the flag to the National September 11 Museum where it will serve as a token of Denmark’s continued support and commitment as a close friend and ally of the US.”

The National Danish flag “Dannebrog” was retrieved from the ruins of the World Trade Center after September 11, 2001, by the New York Police Department.  It was brought to the Consulate General of Denmark in 2006, where it has since been displayed in the condition it was found.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

Despite the slumped economy, four leading accounting firms have donated a total of $4 million to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers each pledged $1 million to help build and sustain the 9/11 Memorial.

These four accounting industry leaders join more than 170,000 individual contributors from all 50 states and 35 countries. The memorial will open in 2011 on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The museum is scheduled to open in 2012. Both are under construction at the World Trade Center site formerly known as ground zero.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who serves as 9/11 Memorial chairman, said: “These gifts are helping to generate the momentum we need to ensure that the Memorial opens next year. The firms have set a tremendous example of corporate citizenship even during a trying economic climate. With the tenth anniversary of the attacks coming up next year, now is the time when everyone should get involved in ensuring the memory of 9/11 is not forgotten.”

The 9/11 Memorial will honor and remember the nearly 3,000 innocent victims of the September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993 attacks.

“When we open the Memorial on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we hope as many individuals, corporations, and industries as possible will be able to say they were a part of building the nation’s memorial to that terrible tragedy," 9/11 Memorial President Joe Daniels said. "We are enormously grateful to our Board Member Sam DiPiazza, Global CEO of PricewaterhouseCoopers International, for working with his industry colleagues to make these gifts possible. ”

Continued fundraising is needed for programming in the 9/11 Memorial Museum and providing a financial base for long-term operational needs. Find out how you can support the memorial and museum.

By Michael Frazier, Sr. Communications Manager for the 9/11 Memorial