The Victor monument after restoration: We looked inside the atelier from where he's returning home

Our portal's crew went to the scene and recorded the end of the restoration process of one of the symbols of Belgrade, whose repair was necessary because of the catastrophic condition it was in.

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The bronze statue, the work of Ivan Mestrovic, 4.25 meters tall and weighing almost a ton, was removed from the pedestal on October 10 with the help of a cable and a crane.

Photo: Telegraf.rs

Experts from the Belgrade City Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments used a 3D scan to discover that there were 30 shrapnel holes in the bust on the statue, created during World War II. The statue was taken off at the last minute, as it was attached to the pedestal by only one steel cable, which was drawn through its legs.

Photo: Telegraf.rs

According to experts, The Victor was so unstable that it wouldn't have withstood stronger storms because it was held by only nine rusty screws. The corrosion completely permeated the steel profiles, so much so that they could be broken apart by hand. The consequences of the collapse of the monument would have been unforeseeable - which required urgent and detailed repairs.

There was a possibility of The Victor losing his sword, as the connection between the statue and the weapon had completely corroded. Fortunately, skilled conservationists fastened the sword, and also discovered that the statue in the original mold had a "patch" on its nose. This "blemish" was removed, the reconstruction of the damaged part done using bronze of identical composition.

Photo: Telegraf.rs

Photo: Telegraf.rs

And when he returns to Kalemegdan in February, he will shine in his distinctive color. The black smog impurities that had been accumulating on the statue for years have been removed in a special process. In the Smederevo atelier, conservationists removed the black layers using a special method with dry ice, i.e. carbon dioxide in solid state at -79 degrees centigrade.

Photo: Telegraf.rs

The city has earmarked 26 million dinars for the reconstruction of one of Belgrade's symbols, daily Novosti writes.

See the new splendor of the city's old symbol in the video at the top of the page!

(Telegraf.rs)