Students cleaned Braun's Bethlehem in Kuks, the second stage of maintenance in the fall

Hřibojedy - The first phase of conservation work at Braun's Bethlehem in the New Forest near Hřibojedy in the Trutnov region, close to Kuks, has been completed. Students from the Pardubice University’s Faculty of Restoration in Litomyšl are involved in the maintenance of the monument. The second phase is expected to take place in the autumn. The next step will involve chemical preventive treatment of the rock monument. Libor Švec, the curator of the baroque hospital in Kuks, told ČTK.

Braun's Bethlehem is a group of sculptures and reliefs created by the baroque artist Matyáš Bernard Braun and integrated into the landscape. Notably, the sculptures and reliefs are carved from rock.

"Collaboration based on the contract that the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) has with the Faculty of Restoration should be long-term, and students should return under professional guidance each year. The next intervention will not be so drastic; it will be more about maintenance work with fewer students," Švec told ČTK.

According to him, regular professional care for the rock monument is extraordinarily important. In June, more than ten students cleaned the sculptures in the New Forest under the supervision of their teachers; they were accommodated in the nearby hospital.

"All the sculptures are cleaned, the intervention took place throughout the area. The beautiful plasticity of the individual sculptures in the open air has emerged, and the monument has brightened up," Švec told ČTK.

This year, students, under the supervision of their teachers, mechanically removed moss and lichen in the New Forest and used steam to finish cleaning the sculptural works. The first phase ended at the end of June. Work is expected to continue in the autumn. Preventive treatment with ethanol will follow to ensure that the sculptures and reliefs do not become overgrown again in the near future. A system for regular monitoring and conservation should be established after evaluating the process.

"The work was done very sensitively, the stone has retained its patina. This was more of a conservation intervention, focusing on cleaning away vegetation deposits," Švec told ČTK.

According to Jakub Ďoubal, a teacher at the Faculty of Restoration in Litomyšl, the monument is in relatively good condition; the stone is not severely damaged at depth, and there is no immediate risk of damage to the monument. Experts do not expect that extensive restoration work will be necessary in the coming years.

Braun's Bethlehem is located near the baroque hospital in Kuks, which was renovated a few years ago at a cost of 440 million crowns. From Kuks, visitors can access the New Forest via red and yellow tourist trails. In 2001, the Bethlehem was declared a national cultural monument and included on the indicative list of UNESCO heritage, allowing it to apply for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

"The Bethlehem in the New Forest is accessible year-round. People often combine their visit with a tour of the hospital complex. The Bethlehem is visited by tens of thousands of people each year," Švec told ČTK.

Most of the sculptures in the New Forest belong to the state, which manages them through NPÚ. Only the statue of hermit Juan Garin belongs to the municipality of Hřibojedy, and the statue of the sheep belongs to the town of Dvůr Králové nad Labem. The Hradec Králové region is striving for the rare monument to have a single owner, namely the state.