This prestigious room of the University of Wroclaw and gem of baroque architecture has been renovated in stages for a few years. The podium, the choir balcony, frescoes over the choir and window recesses were refurbished. Benches in the auditorium and seats between windows are already renovated.
Monument conservation specialists will return to the Aula on Wednesday. ‘They will renovate frescoes over the auditorium, over the windows and on the back wall under the balcony,’ announces Łukasz Krzywka, Ph.D.
The biggest painting presents an apotheosis of Divine Wisdom, which is surrounded with personifications of sciences and arts.
Mysteries of Divine Wisdom
The Aula was named in honour of Emperor Leopold I was erected in the years 1728–1732. After its destruction during the Silesian Wars, it was renovated for the first time in 1788. Afterwards, conservators took up work in the baroque interior several times – for the last time in the 1970s.
Łukasz Krzywka, Ph.D.: ‘Only after a few weeks will we know how much of the original material has survived and to what extent the hall consists of 19th-century and 20th-century modifications. Unfortunately, this part of the Aula is documented less thoroughly than, for example, the podium. Even the photo collection of Rudolf Jagusch contains few photographs encompassing the painting over the auditorium.’
Conservation works in the Aula are expected to last up to one year and a half. Their cost was around 1.5 million PLN.
