Germany introduces Hue palace restoration

The German Embassy has issued two books about Germany’s assistance to Vietnam in cultural preservation. The books were introduced on May 6 at the Goethe Institute in Hanoi.
The first is a tri-lingual book (Vietnamese, English, Germany) entitled An Dinh – Hue’s Hidden Treasure, which details the preservation and restoration process of An Dinh palace. The major works in An Dinh palace are six mural paintings and ancient statues. The book has lively pictures and detailed captions to help readers appreciate the unique combination of Vietnamese classic style and Europe baroque style. The second work is an electronic version of the print book, a DVD in three languages.
Restoration began in June 2002 when Germany sent experts and contributed 17,580 euros to restore six wall paintings at the palace. The project has a cost of over 444,000 euros, including 355,000 euros provided by Germany.
In the first two-year phase since 2003, six frescoes in the lobby of three-storey Khai Tuong Tower, the centrepiece of An Dinh Palace, were restored with the use of preservatives that aim to halt environmental degradation and restore the original facade. These 90 year-old frescos each measure 1.9x1.4m or 1.8x1m and have gold-plated frames made of wood, with carvings of modified apricot blossoms and lotuses.
During the second phase in 2005-2007, the project aimed to revive about 3,600 square.metres of frescos and decorative patterns on the palace walls. As of Jan. 2007, seven major rooms of An Dinh Palace have been restored.
An Dinh Palace is one of the typical structures of Hue imperial city, built on the order of King Dong Khanh (1886-1888) on the An Cuu River right after his accession to the throne. Later, King Khai Dinh (1916-1925) had it transformed into a magnificent palace.
The architecture and inner decoration of Khai Tuong Tower in particular and An Dinh Palace in general, fuse western and eastern cultural styles from the beginning of the 20th century. An Dinh Palace is a combination of steel-reinforced concrete of the west and the traditional wood, bricks and tiles of Vietnam.
Like many other architectural structures in Hue, after nearly 100 years of existence, An Dinh Palace has been badly affected by wars, harsh weather conditions, and repeated political upheavals. As a result, frescoes are fading and distorted, many wall sections with sophisticated designs and patterns are now covered with lime washes and dust after such a long period of time.
The restoration process was trained 15 Vietnamese experts, who assisted the Germans in restoring King Tu Duc’s tomb in Hue and Hanoi’s Tran Dang ancient village.