Mathias Hageböck estimates that it will be another 10 years before all the Weimar books are restored. Nevertheless, the work is very time-consuming. "There is great willingness among experts to help each other," says Nadine Thiel from Cologne. A new restoration method was developed for the 'ash books' from the Anna Amalia Library in Weimar Image: picture-alliance/dpa
#MUSIC RESCUE WINDOWS ARCHIVE#
An account book from the Cologne archive is currently being restored in the Hague in the Netherlands. Books from the Duchess Anna Amalia Library are being restored in Switzerland, Estonia, Hungary and Spain. Archives and libraries cooperate with universities and restoration workshops, both nationally and internationally. When it comes to restoration work, it's not unusual for the experts to criss-cross national borders in search of additional assistance and expertise. She says one must continually emphasize the importance of allocating financial resources for the preservation of our cultural heritage. Engels is also calling for more work to be done in raising awareness. She sees it as her job to find solutions to the problems institutions all over Europe face - mildew, acidic paper, deterioration, vegetable-tanned leather, and inks that eat through the paper. The European Research Centre for Book and Paper Conservation has set a goal of maintaining cultural treasures while advancing research at a European level, says Patricia Engels, director of the Austrian-based institute. "The financial aspect needs to be considered, while also ensuring that the work is of a high quality." "It's a massive logistical task," says Hageböck. Today, it's no longer about handling individual objects, but rather large collections of archive and library material. The greatest challenge for restorers, according to both Moczarski and Hageböck, is to develop new strategies for mass restoration. An accident during the construction of a new subway line caused the collapse of the Cologne archive Image: AP "I need to find creative ways to ensure the preservation of the original objects," she explains. "They put creativity at the forefront and are interested in art, but it's not an artistically creative career." However, creativity certainly doesn't hurt. Nevertheless, beginners often have misconceptions about their profession. "Restoration has become a fashionable career," says Moczarski. New talent is trained in one of 12 restoration programs at universities across Germany.
#MUSIC RESCUE WINDOWS PROFESSIONAL#
Germany is home to about 500 to 1,000 paper conservators, estimates Jana Moczarski of the Professional Association of Restorers in Germany. In the coming year, about 37,000 books with water and heat damage may be restored completely, Hageböck says. Experts developed a unique restoration technique, which has since been exported to Switzerland, where books from the library are still being restored. However, more than 25,000 volumes, called "ash books" because of the fire damage they sustained, were recovered. Hageböck estimates that about 50,000 books went up in flames. In September 2004, a fire broke out at the library, damaging or destroying tens of thousands of books. The core collection at Weimar centers around German literature from 1750 - 1850, but it contains volumes ranging from the ninth to the 21st century. Sometimes restorers find personal items in the books, like dried flowers or letters. He reflects on the circumstances and the era of its creation. When he holds a book in his hand that once belonged to Goethe, he asks himself how the poet might have used the book. He's a member of the team dealing with the consequences of the 2004 fire at the Duchess Anna Amalia Library in Weimar. "I am able to open a window onto the past," says restorer Mathias Hageböck. Flames engulfed the Anna Amalia Library in Weimar in 2004, destroying hundreds of thousands of artifacts Image: picture-alliance/dpa Up to now, her team has been able to restore about 1,500 objects. "It's a considerable responsibility," says Thiel. First, conservators need to remove the dirt and mold, smooth the rips, replace book covers and flatten the pages. She is one of 200 conservators and assistants working to restore the artifacts damaged in the collapse of the Historical Archive in Cologne five years ago.Ībout 95 percent of the total stock was rescued, but the collection - parts of which are more than 1,000 years old - is far from restored. Aside from the experts like Thiel, nobody gets close to these precious archives. "You approach the restoration of handwriting with a sense of reverence," says Nadine Thiel, head conservator at the Historical Archives in Cologne.
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