Marble park bench from the 19th century restored

Natural stone lasts for centuries and, even after a long time, still reminds us of evidence from the past. Sometimes this requires an impetus in the form of restoration. This was the case with the restoration of a marble bench, whose fragments were restored and protected from the weather and vandalism with Lithofin MN Stainstop impregnation.

The bench is located in what is now Poland, approx. 70 kilometres from Görlitz/Germany in the Buchwald castle park, which at the time belonged to Count Friedrich Wilhelm von Reden, later a minister under Frederick the Great.

The bench was made by Ludwig Persius, who was once a pupil of Karl Friedrich Schinkel and was involved in work on Sancoussi Palace, among other things. Designed in an exedra shape (stepped structure with bench), it offers a view over ponds in the palace gardens and the Hirschberg valley.

The Perius Bench, which stands in Buchenwald Castle, was erected in 1845 as a gift from Friedrich Wilhelm IV to the wife of Count von Reden, Countess Friederike von Reden. This historic gift symbolises the close friendship between the Countess and King Friedrich Wilhelm IV.

The restoration was initiated by the collaboration between the architect Christopher Schmidt-Münzberg, who was recently honoured as an ambassador for the Giant Mountains in 2023, and the Verein zur Pflege schlesischer Kunst und Kultur e.V., which he heads.