Caring for and preserving valuable cultural assets – that’s what restorers do. On Sunday, museums in Thuringia will give an insight into their work.
Erfurt/Weimar (dpa/th) – According to their state association, restoration workshops in Thuringia are feeling the effects of the energy crisis. “When restoring works of art, a certain level of humidity is necessary, so you have to heat accordingly,” said Christine Machate, deputy chairwoman of the Thuringian regional group in the Association of Restorers (VDR), the German Press Agency. In addition, a lot of light is needed for the work. All of this will have an impact on the energy costs of the workshops.
However, the effects of the energy crisis on the future order situation are difficult to assess from the point of view of the association, as Karin Kosicki, chair of the national groups, added. “You won’t see that until next year at the earliest.”
According to the association, the majority of orders for the restoration of monuments, paintings, graphics, books, furniture and other valuable cultural assets come from the public sector. “In Thuringia there is a lot going on with the monument preservation fund,” said Machate. The restorers are currently working on the orders for which the funds had been approved last year. Orders from private individuals, such as collectors, hardly played a role in Thuringia.
According to Kosicki, most of the restoration workshops in Thuringia are private companies, whose owners are often lone wolves. Municipal workshops or foundations with permanent restorers are the exception.
On Sunday, the European Day of Restoration, the Goethe and Schiller Archive in Weimar and several museums in Thuringia, among others, provide insights into the work of restorers.
