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THE FLOODS
http://www.staatl-kunstsammlungen-dresden.de/english/2hochwasserAM.htm---------------------------------------- Press Release: 19.8.2002
On the State of the Rescue Measures in the Old Masters Picture Gallery
The catastrophic flood in Saxony has also threatened the art treasures of Dresden. In an unprecedented action, 4000 paintings could be rescued from the Old Masters Picture Gallery within seven hours on 13 August 2002. These works were brought to safety from the underground storerooms by staff members of the Dresden State Art Collections, the fire department, the state criminal bureau of investigation, and helpers from the Ministry of Science and Art of the State of Saxony. Due to a power failure, the freight elevator could not be used. All paintings thus had to be carried by hand into the exhibition galleries on the upper floors of the Gallery's Semper Building adjoining the Baroque Zwinger complex. This rescue action was complicated by the availability of only makeshift lighting and by the rising tide of water from the swollen Weisseritz River seeping into the storerooms through the flooded Zwinger courtyard.Several works which had been rolled onto large cylindrical drums could on account of their size only be brought into a small, higher- lying adjoining room and placed on tables there. A few other paintings are so large that they could only have been transported by means of the elevator. These large-format works, among them The Rape of Europe by Paolo Veronese (Verona 1528 - Venice 1588) and his workshop, were raised by the staff of the Picture Gallery to hang parallel to and just under the ceiling of the modern, 10-year-old storerooms. It has so far been possible to pump out enough water from the largely flooded underground rooms so as to keep the water from coming into contact with these works. As soon as the water level of the Elbe has sufficiently fallen, they will be removed and treated by the restoration staff.
A foremost priority in the coming days is to stabilize the climatic conditions in the exhibition galleries now serving as storerooms. On Sunday, extra climate control machines provided by the Berlin State Museums and the Bavarian State Picture Collections were put into service, an example of the great support which the Dresden State Art Collections have received in this critical time. Managing Director Dr. Martin Roth summarized the situation as follows: "The Dresden museums have so far been able to rescue the works of art on their own, but in the future we will urgently need help from outside."
The following paintings are at the moment still hanging from the ceiling of the Picture Gallery's storage space:
- Paolo Veronese (Verona 1528 - 1588 Venice) with Workshop The Rape of Europe, canvas 321 x 289 cm
- Palma Giovane (Venice 1544 - 1628 Venice) The Visit of Henri III of France to Venice, canvas 269 x 480 cm
- Sebastiano Conca (Gaeta 1680 - 1764 Naples) The Magi Before Herod, canvas 249 x 464 cm
-
Francesco Migliori (Venice 1684 - 1734 Venice) Bacchus and Ariadne, canvas 300 x 402 cm
The Rape of Europe, canvas 300 x 404 cm
From: "Cornelia Munzinger-Brandt" info@staatl-kunstsammlungen-dresden.de
Subject: The Albertinum is open again!
The catastrophic flood in eastern Germany has threatened not only the collections in the Baroque Zwinger and the palaces in Dresden and Pillnitz but also the Albertinum, a building on the banks of the Elbe River housing four museums. Of these, the underground storerooms of the Sculpture Collection and the Modern Masters Picture Gallery have been strongly affected by the dramatic events of the past days, whereas the Green Vault and the Coin Collection have been spared.The rescue action began at a time when no water was visible within the building. Under unbelievable conditions - for long intervals without any form of electricity and only by means of candle light and pocket flashlights - thousands of works of art were brought to safety in a non-stop action which lasted for 36 hours. The paintings and sculptures threatened by the flood waters had to be carried individually to higher levels, in many cases up winding, narrow stairs: 11,000 objects from the Sculpture Collection - Baroque sculptures, works of ancient art, and historical collections of plaster casts - as well as 650 paintings from the Modern Masters Gallery.
In evacuating the 2500-square meter storerooms we have made a deliberate effort to keep part of the Albertinum free - the Green Vault and many rooms of the Modern Masters Gallery -- so that the building could speedily be re-opened. The rescued works were brought into other exhibition halls, which now serve as makeshift storage space; in the Antiquities Hall thousands of plaster casts of figures, portrait busts, and reliefs now lie on the floor amidst the Egyptian, Greek, and Roman works of art regularly on show. The panoramic view presented, unique in the history of the museum, displays the depth and variety of these precious and unified collections of objects. Though this display of the sculptural works in the Antiquities Hall arose from the emergency rescue measures, the seemingly random proximity of works from antiquity, the Renaissance, the Baroque, and the 19th Century allows the viewer to glimpse the manifold correspondences linking these various periods.
If you wish to donate to the reconstruction effort of the Dresden State Art Collections, please fill out the following credit-card form and leave it at the desk of the Friends of the Saxon Museums at the exit or send it to the Dresden State Art Collections, Generaldirektion, Albertinum, Georg-Treu-Platz 2, D-01067 Dresden. Cash donations will also be gratefully accepted in the Albertinum.
I wish to donate to the Friends of the Saxon Museums (Museis Saxonicis Usui) in the amount of ____________EURO.
Account Name (please print): ___________________________ Visa [ ] Master Card [ ]
Account Number: ________________________________________ Expiration Date (MM/YY): _______________
Signature: _______________________________________________ Date: _________________________________
From: Klaus Graf graf@uni-koblenz.de
Organization: Universitaet Freiburg
Subject: [Fwd: Hochwasserkatastrophe]
Klaus Graf wrote:Die Hochwasserkatastrophe hat vor allem in Sachsen und der Tschechischen Republik Kulturgüter und Geschichtsquellen erheblich in Mitleidenschaft gezogen, vielfach sogar zerstört. In Archiven, Bibliotheken, Museen und anderen Kultureinrichtungen wird schnelle kollegiale Hilfe benötigt.
Für die Archive koordiniert der Verband deutscher Archivarinnen und Archivare (VdA) die Unterstützung. Der Vorsitzende hat sich mit einem Aufruf an die Öffentlichkeit gewandt:
http://www.vda.archiv.net/fluthilfe.htm Einen Eindruck von den Schäden (auch in den Archiven der Tschechischen Republik) vermittelt:
http://www.archiv.net Für die Bibliotheken hat sich der Deutsche Bibliotheksverband (DBV) des Themas angenommen:
http://www.bibliotheksverband.de/ Spendenkonto des DBV
Berliner Volksbank
Bankleitzahl 100 900 00
Konto: 541 2670 002 Stichwort: "Flut"
Im Museumsbereich wird der Deutsche Museumsbund tätig: http://www.museumsbund.de/
Eine Presseschau zu Schäden an Kulturgütern bot die Mailingliste H-MUSEUM:
http://h-net.msu.edu/cgi-bin/logbrowse.pl?trx=vx&list=h-museum&month=0208&week=c&msg=7tYTFOu3OdpRB2W7w4GGPg&user=&pw=
Weitere aktuelle Hinweise enthält das bibliothekarische Weblog Netbib: http://log.netbib.de
Klaus Graf
From: "Thomas Schuler" Schlossbergmuseum@t-online.de
Subject: Flut in Sachsen
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,Der Sächsische Museumsbund hat seit Freitag eine Initiative gestartet "Partner nach der Flut", deren Koordinator ich bin. Mehr dazu: http://www.schlossbergmuseum.de/smb/flut.html#Idee Die Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden organisieren die Hilfe sinnvollerweise unter sich, daher gilt alles im folgenden gesagte nicht für dieses starke Flaggschiff, sondern für die über 300 anderen sächsischen Museen.
Wir haben uns einen kompletten Überblick über die geschädigten Museen verschafft:
- 17 Museen durch die Erzgebirgsflüsse
- 7 Museen + Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden durch das Elbhochwasser.
Unsere Zwischenbilanz
http://www.schlossbergmuseum.de/smb/flut.html#Bilanz und die Museumsliste http://www.schlossbergmuseum.de/smb/flut.html#Liste sind seit Sonntag tagesaktuell im Internet abrufbar.Gleichzeitig haben wir ein Netz von "Partnern nach der Flut" geknüpft. Jedes der geschädigten Museen, das die Probleme nicht aus eigener Kraft lösen konnte, erhielt ein bis drei sächsische Museen als Partner. Diese Partnerschaften sind ebenfalls im Internet publiziert: http://www.schlossbergmuseum.de/smb/flut.html#Partner
Da 90% der sächsischen Museen nicht von der Flut betroffen waren und unser Konzept großen Anklang fand, konnten wir alle Probleme bei der Ersthilfe rasch lösen. Die Ersthilfe zur Erzgebirgsflut ist weitgehend abgeschlossen, die zum Elbhochwasser in vollem Gang. Derzeit liegen mir keine neuen Wünsche nach Ersthilfe mehr vor.
Nun geht es also an die schwierigere zweite Phase, das Aufarbeiten der Objektschäden, die Sanierung der Gebäude, das Ersetzen der gefluteten Ausstattung und Haustechnik und das Verbessern des Hochwasserschutzes und der Evakuierungsmöglichkeiten. Um all den vielen, die in den letzten Tage aus ganz Deutschland schon ihre Hilfe für diese langwierigen und teuren Maßnahmen angeboten haben, die Nöte unserer Museen transparent zu machen, habe ich eine fein strukturierte Liste der Bitten um Hilfe erarbeitet: http://www.schlossbergmuseum.de/smb/flut.html#Hilfen
Wir würden uns also sehr freuen, wenn diese Bitten aufgegriffen werden könnten. Allerdings bitten wir auch um Geduld, denn nach dem Kraftakt der ersten Tage und Wochen nach der Flut kann es nicht mehr in diesem Tempo weitergehen. Auch Ersatzbeschaffungen sollten mit Bedacht entschieden werden, dann lassen sich Kosten sparen oder sinnvollere Lösungen finden.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Thomas Schuler
Sächsischer Museumsbund
From: "Axel Plathe" a.plathe@unesco.org
Subject: UNESCO launches website Floods in Europe
UNESCO today launched a website entitled "Floods in Europe: Damages to libraries and archives". The regularly updated information service on damages to libraries and archives in the region and on actions taken for disaster recovery is available at:http://www.unesco.org/webworld/floods_europe/
The web site is a service of the UNESCO Libraries Portal (http://www.unesco.org/webworld/portal_bib/index.shtml) and the UNESCO Archives Portal (http://www.unesco.org/webworld/portal_archives).
It is also linked to UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme (http://www.unesco.org/webworld/mdm).
Contact:
Axel Plathe
Information Society Division
UNESCO
1, rue Miollis
75015 Paris
t 33.1.45.68.44.67
f 33.1.45.68.55.83
WWW: http://www.unesco.org/webworld
From: Klaus Graf graf@uni-koblenz.de
Organization: Universitaet Freiburg
l Subject: floods
Information and links about the floods damages concerning archives, libraries, museums, monuments etc. is available at:http://www.unesco.org/webworld/floods_europe/
http://www.historicum.net/aktuell/diskussion/hw (German)
http://log.netbib.de (Lib-Weblog, mostly German)
http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~museum/flood.html (mostly German)
Thank you for all support!
Dr. Klaus Graf
From: "Rainer Atzbach M.A." rainer.atzbach@ggeo.uni-bamberg.de
Subject: Institute of Archaeology, Prague
Dear colleagues,the archaeologist Alastair Millar (now in Prague) gives an description of the recent situation in Archaeological Institute in Prague. In his report he mentions emergency needs and contact persons for help as well.
Best regards
Rainer Atzbach
Chair for medieval and postmedieval Archaeology
University of Bamberg, Germany
------------------------
Description of the recent situation in Archaeological Institute in Prague
Alastair MillarDear colleagues,
I was able to visit the Institute of Archaeology in Prague yesterday, and must say that what I saw was far worse than I had imagined. All (and I do mean all) of the staff are presently engaged in salvaging what they can from the wreckage manually.
The entire ground floor of the Institute was submerged under 3m of water - for those that know the building, the water line runs just below the line of the ceiling vaults in the entrance... The ground floor housed storage space, the conservation department, part of the physical anthropology department and the post room, amongst other things.
In terms of actual damage:
* Of the 70,000 works in the Institute library stack, it is estimated that only 600 have survived. The card index, although waterlogged, has survived, and it is planned to scan surviving cards into a digital format before they disintegrate.* Damage to collections stored at the Institute is difficult at this stage to quantify. It will be extensive. Moreover, a great deal of unprocessed finds material has lost its context (and even site) information - the consequences of which I am sure we all understand only to clearly.
* The physical anthropology department alone, which was engaged in DNA work, has lost equipment to the value of some 600,000 Crowns (20,000 USD/EUR), including a laminate box and hepafilter.
* Despite initial misgivings, it seems that the Institute's photographic archives have for the most part survived intact, albeit that some negatives will require cleaning. I have had enquiries off- list asking for Martin Gojda's private e-mail address, but Martin tells me that he never uses one and asks those wishing to contact him to be patient and wait for the Institute's own e-mail to be back in service.
* The Institute's geophysical survey equipment has also survived, having been removed in time. Roman Krivanek can be contacted at home on krivanci@volny.cz mailto:krivanci@volny.cz (this is also the home mail address for Dana Adelsbergerova-Krivankova).
* It is estimated that physical repairs to the Institute building itself will cost over 2 Million Crowns (over 65,000 USD/EUR).
* One telephone line into the building is´apparently now (intermittently) working, but frankly I would not recommend that anyone call. The building is still without power.
Note for comparative purposes: the average monthly wage in the Czech Rep. is around 10,000 Crowns (340 USD/EUR).
Many people have asked me what they can do to help, and I would like to thank them for their concern - I shall continue to collate all such e-mails that I receive and pass them on to the Institute in due course.
In terms of the specific help which is DESPERATELY needed:
* The Institute has frozen many works so that they can be conserved later. The Institute is in dire need of somewhere to store these (at present they are reliant on the generosity of frozen foods companies etc. - a generosity which cannot be expected to last forever).* SUBSTANTIAL assistance will be required in the conservation and treatment of printed volumes, site plans and documentation - the Institute is (by both law and practice) the hub of archaeological work in Bohemia, and site plans in particular are utterly irreplaceable. Assistance in the form of technical aid, materials, expertise and no doubt manpower would all be appreciated.
* As the leading archaeological research institution in the Czech Republic, the loss of the library is a cruel blow. Clearly we would like to see the library recreated, and to that end donations of books, reference material, runs of periodicals etc. in future would be much appreciated.
* Obviously, the Institute would also welcome financial contributions - it is unlikely in the extreme that the state and / or Academy and the insurance companies will be able to fund all of the repairs, replacements, removals and conservation necessary.
Those able and willing to offer specific assistance should contact the Institute's deputy director, Natasha Venclova on her mobile phone number: +420.724.039243 (In view of her workload at present, PLEASE do not +call simply to offer sympathy at this stage).
Roman Grabolle and Raimund Karl have already kindly pointed out that the first pictures from the Institute are online at: http://www.archaeologie-online.de/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=1239 6 (Diskussionsforum: Archäologie in der Diskussion: Aktuelle Themen: Aufruf: Hilfe für das Prager Archäologische Institut!).
Alastair Millar, BSc(Hons)
Consultancy and translation for the heritage industry
Hornicka 1736, CZ 413 01 Roudnice, Czech Rep.
alastair@iol.cz | millar@iol.cz | alastairmillar@yahoo.co.uk
From: "Rainer Atzbach"
Dear colleagues and friends,
On 14th August 2002, the Vltava river flooded the Institute of Archaeology in Prague up to 3 metres high. The Institute´s library was practically destroyed - representing, with its 70,000 volumes, the largest archaeological library in the Czech Republic until now,together with the photographical and geodetical archives andlaboratories.
Therefore we are forced to seek support and help concerning the salvage and restoration of the damaged funds and collections, so important for the whole archaeological community in the Czech Republic and beyond. Most welcome would be collaboration concerning restoration of books and other materials (defreezing and drying ), donation ofpublications etc.
Institute of Archaeology
Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
Letenská 4
CZ-11801 Praha 1
tel. +4202 57533782,
fax +420257532288
Please contact us by postal mail, phone or via Roman_Grabolle@gmx.de
ATTENTION:
E-mail arupraha@arup.cas.cz,
and web pages
www.arup.cas.cz
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