The historic Arsenaal building, in the city center of Coevorden, will be closed for a few days from today for safety reasons. This is reported by the municipality of Coevorden. There are cracks in the walls in several places, which need to be repaired as quickly as possible. The building did not have to be evacuated.
“The work is now primarily aimed at getting the situation under control,” says municipal spokesperson Alieke Wijnholds. “Piles are placed to support beams, to prevent worse damage and to stabilize things.”
That first repair work will be carried out by a contractor in the coming days. “As it now appears, the building can be reopened on Tuesday, December 17,” reports the municipality, owner of the building. This building houses the Stedelijk Museum, the library and the tourist information point of Coevorden.
Monumentenwacht Drenthe had an investigation carried out this week into the structural condition of the building. Such a survey is held every year, due to the age of the monumental building from the seventeenth century. This recent investigation pointed to the development of the cracks.
According to the municipality, it has been known for some time that there are cracks in the walls. To date, this has not caused any risks, according to the municipality. “It has now been found that the cracks have quickly become larger, hence this action,” says Wijnholds.
Measures are now being taken to deal with the short blow, but that is not the end of the matter, Wijnholds continues. “We are now ensuring that the building is safely accessible again as quickly as possible. We will then have to have investigations carried out into the cause of this damage. This could include soil testing, because there may be something wrong with the foundation.” The building was renovated in 2012.
Hank Peters, on behalf of the museum: “The state of maintenance of the building has been a point of attention for us and for the municipality for some time now. We are in close contact with each other about this. Apparently, measures are now needed quickly to ensure safety. The closure is a loss for the museum, the library and other facilities, because we normally always see more visitors around the Christmas period.