An Dinh Palace in the former imperial city of Hue and its magnificent wall and ceiling paintings have been thrown open to the public for the first time since the restoration work began in 2003.

The Treasures of An Dinh Palace exhibition, which opened at the palace’s Khai Tuong Lau Hall on June 1, is part of a Viet Nam-Germany project for conservation, restoration and education.

The palace, built in 1918 by Emperor Khai Dinh, features a unique fusion of Vietnamese and French artistic and architectural styles in its 1,700 sq.m of murals, which can be seen until June 15.

The exhibition coincides with the 2008 Hue Festival.

The German Conservation, Restoration and Education Project has received generous support from Germany ’s Preserving Heritage programme and the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre (HMCC), which also administers the palace.

Visitors to An Dinh Palace can also see trainees doing restoration work on the third floor of the Khai Tuong Lau Hall.

”Nothing could better demonstrate how much skill, precision and untiring efforts have gone into reawakening the slumbering beauty of An Dinh Palace,” a press release from Ho Chi Minh City and German Embassy in Hanoi said.

Once the project ends next October, the first and second floor of the hall will be converted into an exhibition on the Nguyen dynasty’s diplomatic and trade relations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. (VNA)