Berlin
Scaffolding at the Brandenburg Gate due to cleaning after a paint attack
Scaffolding is being erected on one side of the Brandenburg Gate to remove the consequences of the paint attack. photo
© Christophe Gateau/dpa
Orange paint is still emblazoned on the Berlin landmark after Last Generation activists sprayed several pillars with it in mid-September. Cleaning is complex and expensive.
On September 17th, the Last Generation group sprayed paint on six pillars of the gate. The police subsequently arrested 14 climate activists.
Work costs at least 115,000 euros
An initial cleaning with hot water from high-pressure jets did not work. Contrary to what climate protection activists claim, the paint is not very water-soluble. The sandstone of the gate is relatively coarse-grained and porous and absorbed both the paint and the water.
Now a kind of paste should be applied, which can first be absorbed and then washed off. The procedure may have to be repeated several times, said the managing director of Berliner Immobilienmanagement GmbH (BIM), Birgit Möhring. The cleaning could take several weeks.
In total, the work is expected to cost at least 115,000 euros, perhaps more. Finance Senator Stefan Evers (CDU) had confirmed that attempts would be made to collect the money from the climate protection group Last Generation and those responsible.