Vienna’s town hall to be renovated over 12 years

After 130 years of exposure to the weather, the facade of Vienna’s town hall is to be renovated as a whole for the first time.

The general renovation of the façade will cost at least 35.7 million Euros but so far undiscovered damage could increase costs.

No other building on Vienna’s Ring street has used up as much natural stone as the town hall, namely 40,000 cubic metres.

Now the 35,000 square metre façade is to be renovated in eleven stages after which the façade will be able to resist the weather for decades again, city council member responsible for housing, Michael Ludwig (SPÖ), said.

During the renovation works that are scheduled to start in September 2012, operation of the town hall will continue almost unaffectedly, state broadcaster ORF reported.

In autumn of 2024 the new façade is planned to shine all in white again as it did 130 years ago.