Many of the nearly 200-year-old gate's bricks (L) have regained their bright red color after 15 days. (Photo: vnexpress.net)Thua Thien-Hue (VNA) – A ceremony was held in Huecity, the central province of Thua Thien-Hue to hand over a project to cleanthe Noon Gate - the southernmain gateway of Hue former imperial city, which is sponsored by Germany’sKarcher Group, to the Hue Monument Conservation Centre.
The project is part of a global cultural sponsorshipprogramme that Karcher Group has launched since 1980.
To clean the monument, the expertsuse a gentle steam setting at a surface pressure of 0.5 to 1 bar and atemperature of up to 100 degrees Celsius. Four hot water, high-pressurecleaners generate the steam that removes algae, mosses, fungi, lichens, andbacteria. This way, absolutely no chemicals are needed. This type ofcleaning also delays the growth of new biogenic vegetation, as the steam's hightemperature destroys the deeper-seated spores.
After being cleaned, dirt and biological contaminants that hadaccumulated over the years were removed, showing the original colour andbeauty of the work.
The modern technology is friendly tothe environment and harmless to the materials of the works, thus helpingmaintain the monument.
Vo Le Nhat, Director of the HueMonument Conservation Centre, said that Ngo Mon (Noon Gate) was built in 1833under the Nguyen Dynasty, which is considered a masterpiece of the Hue citadelarchitecture.
However, the tropical climate, with plenty of rain and highhumidity, has led to the original colour of the brickwork and the greylimestone being covered in dark organic vegetation.
Theproject has helped maintain the original architectural values of one of thetypical imperial architecture of the Nguyen Dynasty, contributing to improvingservice quality for visitors to Hue Monument Complex – a UNESCO-recognisedWorld Heritage Site, he said.-VNA
VNA
