Restoring the Redouten Halls

Restore or remodel?

After the fire of November 1992 the amount of damage was assessed, with disappointing results. The stucco ceiling of the larger Redouten Hall from 1892 was completely destroyed, the entire Baroque roof truss construction had collapsed and burned, most of the figurative parapet decoration had plummeted to the street. Furnishings like the vast oak floors and 120-year-old ceiling lamps were lost forever.

In the smaller Redouten Hall there was less damage - a third of the stucco ceiling was missing and the chimneys had to be removed for safety reasons. The Winter Riding School, stables and west wall of the State Hall in the National Library suffered damage from the water used to put out the fire. The damages amounted to around 70 million euros in total.

But the cloud had a silver lining; the Presidents Tract and Treasury were spared and valuable artefacts from the National Library salvaged in time.

The question of whether to restore or remodel the Redouten Halls resulted in a heated debate. Finally it was decided to restore what remained and update the rest.

The less-damaged, smaller Redouten Hall was restored to its original condition. And for the first time it was possible to restore burnt stucco. The larger Redouten Hall was remodelled to include oil paintings by Josef Mikl. The loft was converted into a modern foyer for the press. In 1997 it was reopened.