The official residence of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Bellevue Palace, is due for major renovation works, although months before the planned start date neither the costs nor the timetable have been established.
“The Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning is currently assessing the time frame and cost of the construction works,” the office responsible for the overhaul wrote in response to a request by dpa.
A spokeswoman said it was not yet clear when the assessment would conclude.
In March, Steinmeier and around 220 staff will have to move out of Bellevue Palace in Berlin’s central Tiergarten park, as well as the modern administrative building next to it, the Office of the President, which also needs to be refurbished.
They will be accommodated for the coming years in a newly built temporary site near the Chancellery and Berlin’s main railway station. That site has cost €205 million ($ 240 million) to build. It is later set to be occupied by federal authorities.
“Numerous structural and technical defects, as well as increased requirements for fire protection, security, energy efficiency and accessibility, make a fundamental renewal unavoidable,” the president’s website says of the upcoming works.
The roof of Bellevue Palace is leaking, the ventilation systems no longer function properly, the windows are neither burglar-resistant nor bulletproof, cracks are visible in the façade and ceilings are corroded.
At the Office of the President, completed in 1998, fire safety measures in particular no longer meet current standards. The entire building technology and the supply infrastructure will also be renewed.
The president, Germany’s head of state, holds a largely ceremonial role, but also plays a decicive role in the legislation process.
