Attic back on Airborne Museum is crown on restoration

The attic on the national monument Villa Hartenstein disappeared between 1944 and 1960. Finally, after more-less 60 years it adorns the roof once again.

It was a wish from director Sarah Heisse because the attic completes the ambition to show the museum like in it's glory days.

The final part of the attic, an increase above the cornice of the facade, was fixated in the presence of the mayor and aldermen of the municipality of Renkum. This ornament piece, which hides the roof from the eye, is the crown on the restoration of the Airborne Museum Hartenstein.

The restoration of Hartenstein is part of a large master plan with restorations and a museum refurbishment. The idea is, to get the building involved in the story line and indicate the context of the place: the Idyll of Oosterbeek and his surroundings before 1944 and the devastating results afterwards.

What remains is the finishing touch so from April 1st, the scaffolding around the old villa can be removed.

"It has become beautiful and the people of Oosterbeek will be happily surprised when the scaffolding is removed." Mayor Agnes Schaap says. Also alderman Jasper Verstand is very enthusiastic: "This is wonderful, the Airborne and the museum are very important for our commune."

Contractor Stef Cuppens from Cuppens and Sons is very satisfied: "Making beautiful things. I get a lot of satisfaction out of that."he says. The attic, which was made by his company, brings back the old allure like it once was.

The whole project around the restoration is pretty unique, in the construction businesses it is common to start at the roof and then the facades. At the museum it went the other way around and this has a financial reason. In the beginning there was only enough money to renovate the facades, but from subsidy of the Provence, funds and private gifts came enough means to renovate the construction of the roof too.

The complete restoration costs about 1.6 million euro's. The last face of the restoration is the refurbishment of the museum. This will be done between November 2019 and March 2020. From April 2020 the museum will present itself as completely renewed.