Thoughtful Historic PreservationThe Future of the World Heritage Roman Baths Site

This summer, the Roman Baths, a UNESCO World Heritage site on the grounds in Sanssouci Park, offers visitors a special attraction. From 1 May to 31 October 2022, the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg (Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburg, SPSG) is showing the exhibition DENK × PFLEGE (Thoughtful Historic Preservation) at the romantic building ensemble set amidst the palace grounds. Following its conclusion, the World Heritage site will be closed for several years due to urgently necessary building and restoration work.

The exhibition leads interested visitors on a tour of the Roman Baths ensemble. These visitors will be given first impressions of several rooms and areas, which have been closed for years. For example, a temple-like pavilion along a pond will be accessible, as well as the former billiard room and the antechamber to a space known as the Viridarium, an inner courtyard reminiscent of what might be found in an ancient Roman villa. Unrestored objects from the Roman Baths’ interior design, sculptures and furnishings are included. Moreover, at 15 stations along the way, interested viewers on the tour will learn more about the SPSG’s work, especially about the interplay between historic preservation, renovation and tourism.

The exhibition addresses a variety of questions: For example, it asks how a building under historic preservation can be barrier-free? Or how do you repair a tile with a crack in it in UNESCO World Heritage? How does fire protection or air conditioning work in a historic palace? How does sustainability function? What is economically feasible? And how much planning service and work is involved in any major renovation project?

It was purposely decided to target the exhibition to everyone rather than just a specialist audience. Frequently, visitors only see the scaffolding and construction signs in the parks and palaces related to the SPSG’s large schemes for renovations and reconstruction. Major refurbishments to the Roman Baths are scheduled to last until 2025. These renovations are part of what is known as the Master Plan for the Prussian Palaces and Gardens. Thanks to this funding programme from the German government and the federal states of Brandenburg and Berlin, a total of around 555 million euros has been made available to the SPSG from 2008 to 2030 for implementing important historic preservation and infrastructural measures.

_{Please note that the exhibition texts on site are only in German.}