Heinrich Piening – the Lord of the Coaches – Munich

The Queen’s coach builder, WJ Frecklington from Australia, recently visited the Marstall Museum at Nymphenburg Palace, accompanied by a chassis builder from BMW. Both gentlemen were duly impressed, Heinrich Piening mentions very discreetly, as discreetly as the scarf in the neckline of his shirt (“because of the draft”). It is easy to see that he himself is extremely fascinated by the historic carriages and sleighs. Points to axles here, to suspension there, remarks that the racing sleds were designed by well-known sculptors of their time, draws attention to the pre-modern metallic-like paint finish of a sled, wanders to the next carriage, draws a comparison to lowered cars. And I really want to state: “These are high-end products of their time!”

300-year-old wagon construction – but such tiny little animals as moths or beetles could put an end to all the sparkling splendor. That’s why, says Piening, it was quite common up until the 1970s to spray large amounts of pesticides once or twice a year, primarily to protect the valuable textiles in the passenger compartment, the so-called coach compartment. At the time, people probably didn’t know any better, but the use of such pesticides has long been banned, at least in this country.

Recent measurements have shown a fairly high concentration of residues – although not a concern for visitors to the museum, the palace administration assures. “But the permitted limit values ​​for pollution are constantly falling,” says Heinrich Piening, “and we just wanted to do something about it.”

It turned out, of course, that a ventilation system that effectively absorbs the emissions would have to be so large that it could not be accommodated in the museum, it would have required an extension or a basement. That’s why they decided to go the other way: a carriage decontamination. And Piening is responsible for that.

The scientist is deputy head of the restoration center of the Bavarian Palaces and Lakes Administration, where a good 50 experts from ten different disciplines work tirelessly to preserve all the beauty in the palaces and castles of the Wittelsbach family – from furniture and tapestries to paintings and chandeliers to carriages – to preserve or revitalize. After studying conservation/restoration in Cologne, the native of Westphalia started working for the palace administration in Munich in 1995 as head of the furniture and wood restoration department. At the same time, he added a degree in physics and earned his doctorate. He is also in charge of the archaeometry laboratory set up in 2000 to analyze the materials used in the exhibits. “But actually this is my second career,” he says. Before his first degree, he worked as a freelance master carpenter.

Since 1996, explains Piening, the palace administration has been successfully using the so-called moisture-controlled thermal process for decontaminating objects, adapted to their needs: “We are essentially misusing a process that is actually intended to combat pests such as woodworms or wood fungi.” A pilot test in 2020 showed that the historical vehicles from the Marstallmuseum can also be gently and successfully decontaminated, i.e. cleaned of dangerous substances.

For a week, the carriages sweat in the chamber

So now a wooden, silver-foil-coated and completely airtight chamber has been set up in the carriage hall of the Marstall, twelve meters long, three meters high, these are the dimensions of a very, very large sea container. Behind it – an obvious contrast to the old, gold-leafed and ornate vehicles with their lion heads and angels – is a highly modern air conditioning control unit from a Lippstadt company with many flashing displays. It raises the temperature to 40 degrees and at the same time regulates the humidity accordingly. The heating has to be done slowly, Piening explains, otherwise dangerous stresses would develop in the material.

Open detailed view

This ramping up to 40 degrees takes up to a day and a half, the carriage then sweats in this chamber for about a week, and then it is carefully cooled down again. The evaporated pollutant residues are sucked off, filtered and disposed of. And then: carriage out, next carriage in. “In terms of space logistics, it’s like carriage Tetris,” says Piening, alluding to the puzzle-like computer game: carriages in, carriages out, maneuver carriages past each other, park carriages on the side.

But the moths and all the other vermin, they’re not extinct, so how do you fight them in the future without insecticides? “Once something has been devestated and decontaminated using this process,” says Heinrich Piening with satisfaction, “you have peace of mind for many years, the re-infestation rate is close to zero.”

The big challenge for the restoration team at Nymphenburg Palace is, of course, how do you get the old chaises back into the chamber without damaging them? They are in good condition, says Piening, but nevertheless: “You can never tighten them.” And roll on their big wheels – well, could go wrong. In addition, it is not “like in the car wash, in front, out the back”.

Open detailed view

So he and his team have constructed lifting platforms with which the vehicle, which weighs one to one and a half tons, can be lifted a few centimeters and pushed forward with the help of four men. This works with the so-called gala berline of the later Prince Regent Luitpold, with Queen Therese’s gala chaise. This no longer works with the much heavier gala carriage of Ludwig II or the coronation carriage of the Wittelsbach family – weighing three tons. This is why only 16 of the 40 exhibits in the Marstallmuseum can be transported for decontamination.

All alone, in the front left corner of the carriage hall, is the musician’s sledge, “for the rolling big band of the Wittelsbach family in winter,” jokes Piening. The sleigh, with its long padded bench for many musicians, is next to slide into the decontamination hut. And that won’t be easy: It also weighs a ton, and placing the lifting devices under the runners will probably not be easy, suspects Heinrich Piening.

When all the decontaminated vehicles are back in their place in the wagon hall, then you should actually start cleaning, thinks restorer Piening. A special foam has already been developed for this in cooperation with the University of Stuttgart – which swallows the dirt of the centuries without scrubbing and rubbing the material. “That’s what it looks like again,” says Piening, pointing to a small spot on the frame of a carriage where the foam has already been tested. It stands out from the surrounding patina with a shiny gold finish. Heinrich Piening is also beaming at this sight.