Panorama Museum Bad Frankenhausen before partial renovation

The Panorama Museum Bad Frankenhausen with its oversized painting of the Peasants' War by Leipzig painter Werner Tübke is to be partially renovated. Work on the outer concrete wall of the circular building, which opened in 1989, is to begin next year, as a spokeswoman for the Thuringian Ministry of Infrastructure said on Wednesday. Cracks in some of the concrete elements are to be repaired and the outer wall sealed. Costs of around nine million euros are currently expected, according to the spokesperson. The construction work is due to be completed in 2025, when Thuringia plans to commemorate the German Peasants' War 500 years ago with a state exhibition in the museum.

The Panorama Museum is located on the battle hill near Bad Frankenhausen, where several thousand rebellious peasants were defeated and massacred by the princely army during the decisive battle in May 1525. In the 1980s, Tübke (1929-2004) created a 14 x 123 meter circular painting with more than 3,000 figures and key scenes. The museum is classified as a nationally significant cultural institution in the new federal states and is visited by around 75,000 people every year.