Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ Around 900 masterpieces of Mongolian fine arts sustained damages of varying degrees in a fire at the National Art Gallery of Mongolia in 2009. Since the incident, step by step actions were taken to save the damaged artworks and about 600 paintings have been restored. Now, there are over 300 heavily damaged works of art that need to be restored or created anew.

A project has been successfully launched to restore those paintings as part of the Cultural Preservation Programme of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany. On February 28, an agreement on rendering assistance to the project was signed at the Embassy of Germany in Mongolia, under which, a painting restoration laboratory will be established at the National Art Gallery of Mongolia with funding of EUR 100 thousand.

The laboratory will become Mongolia’s first painting restoration workshop that meets international standards, where fine arts pieces from state owned museums and galleries will be conserved or restored.

As having skilled conservators and restorers is crucial, German experts plan to provide a three phase training course in restoration of fire-damaged paintings and two painting conservators will be trained.

During the agreement signing ceremony, Ambassador of Germany to Mongolia Jörn Rosenberg said the conservation of cultural heritage is of great significance to any country as the heritage lays the foundation for cherishing the country’s history.

“Therefore, we are pleased to be providing assistance to Mongolia under a major project for the second time as part of the Cultural Preservation Programme of the Federal Foreign Office. Under the new project, we will together bring knowhow to the National Art Gallery and the establishment of the laboratory will pave the way for passing down the cultural heritage to the future generation and bring a new achievement in the cooperation between Germany and Mongolia”

Minister of Culture Ch.Nomin expressed profound gratitude to the German Ambassador and those who played a role in successfully implementing the Federal Foreign Office’s Cultural Preservation Programme in Mongolia.

“The Government and the Ministry of Culture have established the National Center for Cultural Heritage, giving increased focus to protecting, registering, restoring, and passing down the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Mongolia. Germany’s funding to the National Gallery of Mongolia will help restore historical and cultural artifacts to their original state,” said the Minister, emphasizing that the step elevates bilateral cultural cooperation to a new level and brings advancement in art conservation in the country.

The renovation of the space where the laboratory will be has begun with the signing of the project funding agreement. The laboratory is set to open at the beginning of the 2022 academic year and the first phase of the conservator training course will also begin at that time.