The project began in 2003 as a joint venture of the Leibniz Gesellschaft für kulturellen Austausch Berlin e. V. and the Hué Monuments Conservation Centre (HMCC). In September 2007 the German cultural association, Ost Trifft West - West Trifft Ost e. V. (OTW) assumed directorship of the project and assigned project management to GCREP. The project has been facilitated since its inception by generous funding from the German Federal Foreign Office's Preserving Heritage programme and by the HMCC.
The exposure, conservation and restoration of precious wall and ceiling paintings in An Dinh Palace (built by Emperor Khai Dinh in 1918) has been undertaken in regular project phases since 2003, subsequent to a detailed analysis of the condition of the Palace and a projection of timeframe and costs for the entire project.
The project pursues two major aims in parallel. In addition to the exposure, conservation and restoration of precious wall and ceiling paintings in the Palace, the project also instructs a team of talented young Vietnamese art graduates and artisans in all practical and theoretical aspects of the conservation/restoration process. Fourteen trainees carry out all aspects of work on site under the supervision of German restoration specialists. The ultimate aim of the training programme is to gradually equip trainees with the necessary knowledge and skills to undertake conservation and restoration projects independently in the future.
The restored section of the Palace and an exhibition about the project will be presented to the public in June 2008, as part of the Hué Cultural Festival that takes place every two years. Work on the Palace will probably be concluded at the end of 2008.
You can read more about this fascinating project on the following pages >
