Burgkapelle in Ziesar, Germany

In April 2009, WMF celebrated the opening of the Burgkapelle in Ziesar following a two-year conservation project.

The Burgkapelle was built in 1470 by Dietrich IV von Stechow, bishop of Brandenburg, as the chapel for an episcopal residential complex. It is a rare surviving example of a late Gothic chapel with a completely painted interior.

The building faced structural problems for years. Cracks had developed in the walls, allowing water and salt to seep in, fostering biological growth and damaging the paintings. Preservation work began in 2007 and included cleaning, consolidation, retouching, desalination, and documentation of the interior.

The chapel is now open to the public, offering a rare glimpse of a late-medieval ecclesiastical structure that survived many conflicts and the Communist era.