Recovery of Franz Liszt’s Piano, Odesa, Ukraine

All the windows and doors in the building were smashed, all the halls were damaged, and furniture and an antique glass lantern were damaged. According to the director of the House of Scientists, “almost everything we see here that is valuable has been damaged.” In general, the building is in a deplorable state today, with huge cracks on the walls, some of them through and through.

The building was constructed in 1832 based on a design by architect Francesco Boffo. Later, it was purchased by Russian Count Mikhail Tolstoy, who added an annex to house an art gallery. Tolstoy, a philanthropist and patron of the arts, suffered under the Bolsheviks. He was arrested, and his property was confiscated. In 1920, after Soviet power was firmly established in Odesa, the Tolstoy mansion became the site of the First People’s Museum.

In 1934, the museum became a branch of the Odesa Museum of Western and Eastern Art. That same year, the former Tolstoy mansion was handed over to the regional trade union of education and science workers, becoming the Odesa House of Scientists.

During World War II, a bomb hit a building adjacent to the House of Scientists during the defense of Odesa, but the mansion itself sustained only broken windows. During the German occupation, a German military commander protected the building from being looted by Romanian soldiers. The House of Scientists remained operational throughout the occupation. In March 1944, as the Germans retreated, they planned to demolish the building with explosives. However, the mines were defused, saving the House of Scientists once again.

In the 1990s, there were plans to transform the House of Scientists into a business club. However, its director, Halyna Valentynivna Tereshchenko, fought to preserve its heritage, even appealing to UNESCO. Thanks to her efforts, the House of Scientists remained a cultural treasure for Odesa and its residents. Since 2000, the building has housed a museum that operated until recent times.

What we’ve done

On the same day of the rocket attack, our team, together with our general partner, the development company Gefest, provided a team of builders and installers to clear the rubble, purchased construction materials, closed the broken windows, and created separate sarcophagus boxes for valuable exhibits. It took more than two days to clear the rubble and the damaged area. Dozens of tonnes of scrap metal were removed. The site is now mothballed.

What we’re gonna do

1. We have found a workshop that will professionally restore your musical instrument.
2. We will procure the necessary materials that meet the quality standards for the instrument.
3. We will ensure correct delivery to the workshop and transfer back to the original place of installation.
4. Organize a presentation concert to demonstrate the achievements with video and officials.