Supplemented with new information!
Invitation to tender for the renovation of the Palace’s roofing that had been announced at the start of January concluded without results because the only proposal submitted by one applicant did not match the technical specification. Following repeated invitation to tender, it is now certain that the first stage of renovation will be implemented as planned while the second stage will be carried out at a more reduced level than originally planned.
During roof renovation works access to the Palace will be restricted – while the courtyard will remain open to public, the main entrance door will be locked. Visitors will still be able to access the Palace from the eastern side (near the entrance to the French Garden).
The Palace’s façade will be obstructed by scaffolding, which will be concealed with a decorative cover displaying a printed image of the façade.
From May 2020, Rundāle Palace ticket office will relocate from the central block to the Stables. During this time tickets will be available to purchase from the ticket office in the Stables, Palace Park or ticket machine.
To regulate the flow of traffic from car parks to the Palace, the route along the eastern side of the canal will be closed to visitors.
Temporary restrictions to the main exhibition rooms will be applied only during complex construction works.
Before the visit please familiarise yourself with the enclosed map of the Museum’s territory that shows the location of ticket offices and the scale of roof renovation.
Please follow signs displayed inside the Museum and in its territory.
Already in 2017, the Rundāle Palace Museum highlighted the need for roof renovation and drew attention to other emergency repairs required on the Museum’s site. Damage to the Palace’s roofing and its construction has been sustained over several years with leaking joints along the roof windows and roof valleys. Water permeates constructions, runs down and damages plastering.
In late 2017 CMB Ltd developed a roof renovation project for the Rundāle Palace that focused on the following tasks: prosthesis and renovation of damaged load-bearing constructions by strengthening their load-bearing capacity according to calculations; complete replacement of roofing and wooden decking whilst partially preserving and exposing the historical decking; restoration of architectonic roof features. The proposed plan also commits to replacing the location of roof valleys because the current construction directs rainwater towards the cornices.
The construction plan consists of four stages that can be carried out in succession or concurrently depending on the availability of funds. The proposed duration of renovation is five months, which also includes technology for laying the roofing material.
Procurement documents are currently being prepared and an invitation to tender for the renovation of Palace’s roofing will be announced before the end of November. Procurement results will allow for the exact construction costs to be calculated and to forecast fiscal feasibility, period and pace of the required works.
The current funding of 2,155,513 EUR allocated to the renovation of Rundāle Palace’s roof is not sufficient for the whole project, therefore a partial renovation of approximately 2/3 of the roof has been planned.