Three years have passed since the morning dew pavilion in the Korean Garden in Grüneburg Park fell victim to an arson attack. It was actually quickly decided that reconstruction would come. But it took three years before the construction and financing proposal for the reconstruction was approved by the magistrate of the city of Frankfurt. This is now to be carried out by a South Korean construction company. For this decision, the city received support from the South Korean consulate, which selected the construction company itself. For the destroyed wooden structure, the roof, the floor slabs, the walls and the foundations of the pavilion, original building materials are needed, which will be produced by artisans in South Korea and brought to Frankfurt by sea.
The Republic of Korea also supports Frankfurt financially: for the restoration of the Korean Garden, it has provided 150,000 euros. The donation, which the magistrate received in August last year, could already be invested in the partial renovation of the garden. The work will be completed with the reconstruction of the morning dew pavilion and the plum arbour, which, although not burnt down, will be renovated. In total, the cost of the reconstruction is around half a million euros.
"I am very happy that the Korean Garden will now soon be restored to its former glory," says Lord Mayor Peter Feldmann. "It is very dear to the people of Frankfurt - no wonder, it is simply a beautiful, peaceful place. I really enjoy being there with my family. My warmest thanks go to our friends from Korea for their support, whom I hope to meet in person in the autumn. I am honored to have our city beautified by such fine arts and crafts."
Control of the design and construction services will be shared by the Department of Building and Real Estate and the Parks Department, which will also contract for the services. Head of Environment Rosemarie Heilig says: "We were all deeply saddened after the fire of our beautiful pavilion. But our Korean community stood by us - first and foremost the Consulate General - and raised a large part of the money for the reconstruction with private donations and with concerts, such as with the great Korean women's choir ‚Harmonie Ensemble'. This was another sign of our deep friendship that touched me deeply."
For South Korea's Consul General, the Korean Garden is also "a symbol of the friendly cooperation between Korea and the City of Frankfurt," says Chang Rok Keum. "Unfortunately, due to the Corona crisis, the reconstruction has been delayed, but I hope that the Korean Garden can be restored as soon as possible and that various cultural events will also be held as soon as possible. I would like to thank Lord Mayor Peter Feldmann, Environment Department Head Rosemarie Heilig and everyone involved for their great efforts."
The work is expected to start in autumn at the earliest. Before that, it will take about four weeks to manufacture individual components in South Korea and about six weeks to transport them. Work on site in Frankfurt is scheduled to take two months. According to current plans, however, it looks like the garden and pavilion will be ready for park visitors to enjoy again in 2021.
The Korean Garden was given to the city of Frankfurt on the occasion of the 2005 Book Fair by the then host country South Korea. It was conceived in South Korea, where the building materials were also produced. A group of artisans then travelled to Frankfurt to build the garden in Grüneburgpark. On the area of almost 4000 square meters are the garden with two pavilions, the morning dew pavilion, the plum arbor as well as ponds and a stream.
