Description
The Alte Pinakothek, built between 1826 and 1836 by Leo von Klenze (1784–1864), was severely damaged in air raids during the Second World War and was completely gutted on the inside. On the south side, a 40-metre-wide crater from a bomb explosion marred the building's exterior. A heated debate ensued over whether to rebuild or demolish the structure. In 1951, Hans Döllgast (1891–1974) submitted a cost estimate for restoring the Alte Pinakothek, demonstrating that he could 'patch up' the building at roughly the same cost as demolition. As a result, he was commissioned to restore the renowned museum building.
Döllgast planned to incorporate the existing historic fabric of the building. The main changes included a reorganisation of the floor plan, the relocation of the entrance from the east to the north side, and the installation of a counter-flow single-flight staircase. Döllgast had the bomb crater filled with rubble bricks to preserve the historical trace within the structure. The Alte Pinakothek was ceremoniously reopened in 1957.
The model from the 1950s, incorporating the changes to the roofs and south façade proposed by Döllgast in 1972/73, was transferred to the archive by the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen (Bavarian State Painting Collections) in 2017.