Reopening of Notre-Dame: A celebration of hope and renewal!

Reopening of Notre-Dame: A celebration of hope and renewal!

Five years after the devastating fire, the iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris will be ceremoniously reopened on Saturday. Chancellor Karl Nehammer will represent Austria at the event, despite previously facing stalled coalition talks back home. He traveled to Paris on Friday while Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen is unable to attend due to a recent disc operation. A total of around 50 heads of state and government, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, are expected to attend reported on today.at.

Restoration in new splendor

The prospect of unpleasant weather meant that the opening ceremony, originally planned as an outdoor event, was moved to the cathedral at short notice. Météo-France warned of wind gusts of up to 80 kilometers per hour, forcing organizers to make the change. At the reopening, a message from Pope Francis will be read out and French President Emmanuel Macron will give a speech. The solemn ceremony, designed to highlight the cathedral's restored splendor with festive musical performances, will be noisy Pulse24 crowned with a cultural program in which, among others, the star pianist Lang Lang appears.

Lang Lang expressed his excitement about the restored cathedral: “The colors are much brighter now because everything has been renovated.” The extensive renovation work, made possible by donations of 846 million euros worldwide, has given the building complex a new lease of life, and the fresh colors of the murals and the cleaned glass windows are impressive. The fire of April 15, 2019 caused serious damage, but now Notre-Dame is ready to shine as a symbol of reconstruction and hope.