WALL PAINTING CONSERVATION
Brief history
Bračak Castle was built in 1889 near the Zabok settlement of Bračak on the plateau of a hill, which rises on the north side of the Krapina River and the newly built Zagreb-Budapest railway. For Count Milan Kulmer, this railway was crucial in making the decision to buy the Bračak estate and build a new castle on the site of the old mansion, damaged in the 1880 earthquake. Simultaneously with the construction, a park was formed around the castle, which covers the entire southern slope of the hill.
After the end of the Second World War, the contemporary owner of the castle, Ferdinand Kulmer (grandson of Milan Kulmer) donated the castle and in 1947 the Children's Hospital for Lung Diseases started operating here. The adaptation of the castle into a hospital represents the third phase in the construction development of the castle because the original spatial organization was changed in order to adapt to the hospital needs. The changes included the removal of some original walls and the erection of new partitions, the formation of a longitudinal corridor, which becomes the main communication core from which all rooms are accessed, including the staircase, the opening of new windows, the formation of toilets and other ancillary rooms.
After the construction of a new hospitals on the neighboring hill in 2007, Bračak castle loses its hospital function and is abandoned. Emptied of abandoned Castle decays despite the fact that it is protected as a cultural asset. REGEA, the regional energy agency of Northwestern croatia, has been preparing a reconstruction project since 2011, and in 2015 Krapina-Zagorje County will begin work on the complete renovation and revitalization of the Bračak castle and its transformation into the Bračak Energy Center. Its new purpose is proof that new life can be given to built heritage using modern 21st century technology. As a part of the renovation, valuable wall paintings of the main staircase were restored. The works were carried out under the supervision of the competent Conservation Department in Krapina.
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Wall painting conservation research
Conservation research of built heritage is a multidisciplinary processe where on the basis of historical and archival research, analysis and documentation of the existing condition and field esearch, supplemented by laboratory and other analyzes determination of historical construction development and / or phases of interior and exterior design of immovable cultural property is beeing made.
The purpose of conservation research and conservation study of the Kulmer castle near Bračak, was valorization of all identified construction and design phases and the preparation of proposals for further direction of conservation work, which was finally determined by the competent Conservation Department in Krapina of the Ministry of Culture and Media. The ultimate goal was the professional conservation of cultural property, in order to achieve its useful purpose and its functioning in the community.
Conservation works on wall paintings of the main staircase were preceded by additional conservation research Additional conservation research and further conservation work on wall paintings was carried out by conservator Marina Fernežir and her associates in 2016.
Photo documentation before conservation work
Whitin conservation research it was determined that wall painting on the ceiling was in very poor condition. Ceiling was exposed to moisture for a long period of time and wall painting on it was badly damaged. Some ornaments found during conservation research were barely visible. Due to its extremely poor condition, ceiling was intended for a complete reconstruction.
Wall painting on walls and ceiling of the main staircase were made in secco technique in 1889. Ornaments on the cealing were painted inside blue and red borders and dark red-purple rectangles. It was a simple symmetrical composition performed on an ocher and light blue background. Based on conservation research complete reconstruction of wall painting on a new cealing was made. Conservation research were basis for further conservation work on wall paintings on staircase walls as well.
Wall painting on walls and ceiling of the main staircase were made in secco technique in 1889. Ornaments on the cealing were painted inside blue and red borders and dark red-purple rectangles. It was a simple symmetrical composition performed on an ocher and light blue background. Based on conservation research complete reconstruction of wall painting on a new cealing was made. Conservation research were basis for further conservation work on wall paintings on staircase walls as well.
Photo documentation during conservation work
Graphical ornaments prepared for ornament reconstruction of the missing parts of the paint layers
Wall painting conservation
Conservation work on wall painting included the removal of subsequent layers of lime and oil. Plastering of damaged lacunae and cracks was performed with remediation plaster. Cleaning, consolidation and fixing of sensitive paint layers has been made. Final phase was retouching of wall paintings which included complete reconstruction of wall painting of the cealing.
Photo documentation during conservation work
Photo documentation during conservation work
Photo documentation after conservation work
Source
(1) RegeaChannel, Energetski centar Bračak.Kratki dokumentarni film prikaz je obnove dvorca od početka do kraja realizacije projekta. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSaa6wVvhHM. Pristupljeno 17.6.2021. |