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| The Brandenburg Gate after the restoration: Sylitol materials were amongst those which helped to give the structure its new shine. |
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Brandenburg Gate with a new shine
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In the hands of restorers and craftsmen
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| Throughout more than two hundred years the Brandenburg Gate has not only had a chequered history, but has also had to bear numerous acts of encroachment. In 1788 Frederick II commissioned the architect Carl Gotthard Langhans to build the gate, which took three years to complete. It received its decorative figures under the direction of Johann Gottfried Schadow in 1794. The reliefs in the gate openings, the metope frieze, the statues of Mars and Minerva along with the quadriga beaten in copper lend the gate its unmistakeable face. Carrara marble was not used on cost grounds and instead sandstone was taken from the nearby reservoir. A light coat of paint gave the impression of white marble. But the satisfaction which this brought did not last long. In 1804 when it became unsightly, it was given a new coat of paint in an ochre shade which the people of Berlin called café au lait. Since 1926/27 the Gate has displayed its natural sandstone. It suffered damage, mainly in the last days of the Second World War in the battle for Berlin. The following repairs that were undertaken were restricted due to the lack of money and materials to sporadic maintenance and embellishments or the repairs were carried out hurriedly. With the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961 the Brandenburg Gate became the symbol of the partition of Germany, but was associated with national unity with the fall of the Wall in 1989/90. |
Majority in favour of natural colours
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| With due regard to its historical significance the Monumental Protection Trust took on the renovation of the Brandenburg Gate. Since there were no public funds available, it obtained sponsors for financing this major project which cost about five million euros. Renowned personalities and companies in the monument protection, restoration and building materials fields expressed their willingness to co-operate so that the renovation of the Gate lay in capable hands. The group of donors also included the Deutsche Amphibolin Werke, Ober-Ramstadt which, with its investment after unification, had ensured the survival of well-known factories in the paint and enamel industry in the new federal states. The general contractor was Caro Restaurierung & Technologien GmbH, led by Dr. Michael Pauseback who explained the common objective: "For the reopening on 3rd October of this year, the Brandenburg Gate will be proudly shown freshly cleaned, regrouted and rendered, professionally sealed with mortar, stabilised in its foundations and smartened up cosmetically. After a public ballot in which there was a choice of four models in various colours, the colour of the natural sandstone prevailed. But there was still plenty for the painters to do. This was because the Gate had more to offer than Cotta and Rackwitz sandstone. |
The decision was for silicate paint
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The walls and ceilings of the gate with its five passages, together with the outer walls of the gatehouses on both sides, produced a render/plaster area of over 3000 m² which in appearance should not be inferior to the sandstone and therefore it received a covering of a similar shade. The paint and enamel specialist, Caparol, has suitable coating systems for this application in its range. It can fall back on a great deal of scientific expertise and boasts a universal range of products for the solution of this demanding task.
Based on an expert opinion which included comprehensive examinations, the application technicians at Caparol recommended the use of the silicate paint Sylitol for the rendered surfaces. This paint is characterised by high resistance to pollution. Its application required the removal of the existing layers of paint of various composition right down to the sound substrate. The environmentally friendly vacuum technology of the company Storch was taken as the cleaning method, since it treated the substrate with care and facilitated efficient disposal of the paint slurry. |
Concept convinced the experts
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The concept for the colour scheme provided for the priming of the cleaned render/plaster surfaces with Sylitol concentrate thinned with water and the application of an intermediate coat with the tinted quartz-filled thick-film paint, Sylitol Compact, for levelling different render/plaster structures. The final coat was provided in Sylitol exterior paint in the desired shade which gave the render/plaster areas a balanced appearance which harmonised with the sandstone. The application of a Antik Lasur (antique glaze) in a brighter shade provided patina which is appropriate to a monument. The ceiling and wall surfaces of the soldiers' rooms in the region of the architrave were painted with Calcimur Kalkschlämme (lime slurry).
The well thought-out concept from the paint manufacturer convinced the experts. They decided to accept the offer from the renowned manufacturer. The Deutsche Amphibolin-Werke regards the Brandenburg Gate as an important national monument and the gate of German unity. On this basis it was making its products available without charge and was handling the technical consultancy and support for the work. Application technicians were available to the painters on site with help and advice and specialists could be called up as required. |
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