ÖZKD LXXVII Heft 3 Generalsanierung Parlament, pp. 84-88, 2024/04/17
Generalsanierung des Parlamentsgebäudes 2018–2022
The hall of the Federal Assembly – originally the meeting room of the House of Representatives and now also referred to as the „historical meeting room“ – is the largest mainly unchanged space in the parliament building. Numerous detailed drawings by Theophil Hansen attest to the authenticity of the furnishings. In addition to the use of oak wood for furniture and floors, the surfaces of the wood paneling were artistically decorated with imitation techniques in the form of marbling and graining. Over time, parts of the wooden furnishings were revised and altered by later additions. During restoration, on one hand, installations for contemporary technology were invisibly integrated by the removal and reinstallationof the historical herringbone parquet, and on the other hand, later additions were largely removed, and changes were reverted to the original state. The heavily soiled surfaces were cleaned using wet-chemical processes, maintenance layers and overpaints were removed with the help of infrared lasers. Missing areas of woodwork and imitation painting were reconstructed using historical techniques, and gaps and damages in the painting were filled and retouched. The goal of the restoration was to achieve a cohesive overall picture corresponding to the age of the hall, as close as possible to Theophil Hansen‘s original conception.
