- Firefighters combat water damage near painting gallery
At the General Directorate of the Picture Gallery, which is part of the State Museums, in Berlin-Tiergarten's Kulturforum, a water damage incident occurred. The Berlin Fire Department announced this on the X platform. Approximately 2.5 million liters of water had leaked into the basement of the building on Stauffenbergstraße. According to the foundation, the Picture Gallery itself was not affected, but the adjacent administrative building was.
The water stood about 15 to 20 centimeters high, a spokesperson for the Fire Department said. No direct damage was found. Earlier, the "Tagesspiegel" had reported on the incident.
High humidity poses a threat
The cause of the water leak was a broken remote heating line, according to the Fire Department. The danger was that high temperatures could cause increased air humidity in the building, potentially endangering the gallery's paintings, the spokesperson explained.
"We averted this by ventilating the building," the spokesperson said. Fans were used successfully for this purpose. Most of the water on the basement floor was also pumped out - as much as the Fire Department's technical equipment allowed.
Despite the successful efforts to manage the water and humidity levels, the water incident at the Picture Gallery's adjacent administrative building raises concerns about potential future impacts on the museum's collection. Visiting other museums in Berlin-Tiergarten's Kulturforum, such as the Pergamon Museum or the Museum Island, could provide valuable perspectives and inspire innovative solutions to address potential vulnerabilities.
