[CPProt.net] Weimar's Last Chance ; icon of German culture is under threat. Mismanagement has made things go very wrong in the cradle of German classicism

[MSN CPPnet]

Weimar's Last Chance   
Weimar needs to do more for its heritage, like the Schiller Museum 
  
July 18, 2005
 
   
An icon of German culture is under threat. Mismanagement has made things go
very wrong in the cradle of German classicism, Weimar.

The devastating fire that gutted the Anna Amalia Library in Weimar last
September destroyed a jewel in the town's cultural crown. But a recent
report has found that many other landmarks in the eastern German city are
endangered. 

A commission set up by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK)
examined the state of Weimar's cultural affairs. It has now accused the
foundation created to preserve and manage the town's cultural heritage,
Stiftung Weimarer Klassik (SWKK), of serious mismanagement.

And it warns that Weimar's treasures are under threat.

"There is reason to believe that works are in serious danger in a number of
facilities," said SPK president Klaus-Dieter Lehmann, who headed the
inquiry. 

Results are deeply disturbing

According to Lehmann, Weimar's graphic art collection is one example of a
jeopardized cultural good.

"Goethe's drawings are still mounted on acidic cardboard, which means there
is a real risk of damage and deterioration," said Lehmann. "These are all
things that deeply disturb us." 

He said that authorities had become more sensitive since the fire in the
18th century Anna Amalia library. 
 
The blaze destroyed 50,000 precious and mostly irreplaceable volumes and
badly damaged a further 60,000. The total estimated damage amounted to some
67 million euros ($81.7 million).

The library's centerpiece, the famous Rococo room, was also destroyed.

Weimar's fortunes are slumping

Weimar is known to tourists around the world as a picture-perfect town. The
cradle of German classicism -- once the home of Goethe and Schiller -- has
played host to some of the greatest European artists and intellectuals.
 
After German unification, the government and the European Union pumped
millions of euros into the city to restore its former splendor.

Weimar got another boost when it was named EU cultural capital in 1999. The
town hosted an ambitious cultural program and drew many visitors. But when
it was over, Weimar's fortunes slumped again.

No glossing over the facts

The blaze in the Anna Amalia library was started by a cable fire. Now,
experts fear the same could happen elsewhere in Weimar -- for example in the
city castle, and in particular the rooms that house the collection of prints
and drawings. 

The commission was highly critical of conditions there. Hellmut Seemann,
SWKK's president, said the findings were "devastating."

"But it is an accurate assessment of the situation and there's no way we can
gloss over the fact," said Seemann. "Conditions in the museum are
catastrophic." 

Weimar needs to wake up

In response to the commission's report, the government has thrown Weimar a
life line of fresh cash. Due to this additional funding, the foundation was
able to improve the situation in the summer months -- at least
provisionally. 

Some of the funds are earmarked for the preservation of Goethe's drawings,
of which only a third have been restored so far. But experts say merely
saving what is there is not enough. The town needs to wake up to its
responsibilities.
 
 
"Weimar always needs fresh wind," said Nike Wagner, head of Weimar's Arts
Festival. "Weimar has an unhealthy tradition of rejecting whatever is new
and modern." It had snubbed the art nouveau and Bauhaus movements, for
example.

"The people of Weimar have always tried to exclude whatever is modern, and
remain fixated on images of classicism," said Wagner.

Weimar needs a vision

Another problem is the contemporary art collection in the "New Museum."
Fewer than 5,000 visitors came last year. The modern works seem neglected
and unloved, compared to the treasures of earlier centuries. 

Renowned art collector Paul Maenz had loaned the museum many important
works. Now, he wants the works back. It's a slap in the face for Weimar and
those in charge of its arts policy.

"Nostalgia for the past is not enough," said Lehmann. "In order to define
one's place in today's world, one needs vision, one needs to explore new
approaches. I think people failed to grasp what it meant for Mr. Maenz to
loan his collection to the Neues Museum."

Saving Weimar's legacy

The commission said a proper visitors center should be created in the city
castle, the Schloss. The experts also want to build a central storage
facility for Weimar's art treasures. The city, they said, must shape up for
the 21st century.

"I will take great pains to ensure that everyone, apart from the public who
can always say 'it's all rubbish,' who shares responsibility for this
foundation furthers these goals," said Seemann.

The government has earmarked 10 million euros in emergency funds for Weimar.
Many believe it's the city's last chance to save its legacy as the home of
Germany's cultural titans.

http://www.dw-world.de/