Restoration

Surface cleaning of books in the Brecht-Weigel Museum

Project duration: 9. April 2018 – 14. April 2018

Restoration and cleaning team at temporary workstations in Bertolt Brecht's and Helene Weigel's apartments

The Brecht-Weigel Museum is located in the side wing of the Brecht Haus in Chausseestraße 125 and houses a total of 5,600 volumes from the bequests of Helene Weigel and Bertolt Brecht.

Due to conservational work done on the book holdings, which aimed at securing, maintaining and preserving the two libraries, the museum remained closed for one week in April 2018. Two teams made up of 10 people were involved in cleaning and stabilising the book holdings and furniture.

In the historical apartment of Brecht and Weigel, furniture was moved and covered in order to set up temporary workstations for cleaning and securing the substance of the books and producing protective packaging. The teams, made up of Akademie der Künste staff and external employees, removed and cleaned 1,120 books each day. Paper restoration experts worked on damaged volumes, securing loose bindings or small defects on site. 247 protective sleeves with major signs of usage, compressions and torn pages were set aside for a special restoration project. 70 books and journals received custom-fitted slipcases or folders.

Accompanying the work done on the books, a wood restorer carried out necessary securing and stabilisation measures on one of the shelves and on a bookcase.


Project management: Cornelia Hanke, Elke Pfeil, Helgrid Streidt