As part of the sub-project, the west wing and the west tower, including the façades and arcade pillars, are being renovated. Investigations and the uncovering of structural elements have confirmed the urgent need for renovation. The project is currently being planned. The renovation of the arcade pillars in the castle courtyard was trialled in 2025. Early safety measures were necessary in the west tower in 2024.
Dismantling work in the west wing and west tower created important conditions for the renovation. Damaged structures such as beam supports, columns and overloaded ceilings had to be exposed on the first and first floors. This enabled surveyors and structural engineers to precisely analyse the damage to the building structure. The results of the investigations were incorporated into the refurbishment planning.
The refurbishment of an arcade pillar was trialled in the courtyard of Friedenstein Palace in 2025. The pillar renovation serves as a model for the renovation of all arcade pillars in the west wing and other pillars in the east wing. This is a complex task, as each pillar carries around 270 tonnes of load from the upper floors and is firmly integrated into the overall static structure of the baroque palace. For this reason, a specially manufactured multi-arm steel structure is being used for the renovation.
In 2024, investigations revealed structural weaknesses above the auditorium of the Ekhof Theatre in the west tower. A partition wall on the first floor was resting on beams that had been damaged by organisms and were no longer load-bearing. This had led to deformations in the structure and posed a risk to the theatre’s wide-span ceiling below. A safety structure with steel beams was installed for the partition wall and the beam supports were reinforced.
