Paris Judge Rejects Bid to Suspend the Replacement of Notre-Dame’s Windows

A Paris judge has rejected a bid to suspend the removal of six 19th-century stained-glass windows by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc from Notre-Dame Cathedral, clearing the way for their replacement with contemporary works commissioned by the French government. The Paris Administrative Court ruled that the project does not constitute an irreversible alteration because the new windows, designed by artist Claire Tabouret and produced by glassmakers Simon-Marq, could be removed in the future, and the original windows will be preserved. The judge did not rule on the legality of the project, which had previously been vetoed by the National Commission of Patrimony and Architecture, leaving the door open for further legal challenges.

A favorable court decision for contemporary stained glass at Notre-Dame

Une décision de justice favorable aux vitraux contemporains à Notre-Dame

A French court has ruled in favor of keeping contemporary stained-glass windows installed at Notre-Dame Cathedral, rejecting a legal challenge from traditionalists who sought their removal. The decision upholds the controversial replacement of 19th-century grisaille windows designed by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc with modern works by artist Pierre Soulages and others, as part of the cathedral's post-fire restoration.

The AfD Rehearses the Seizure of Power

Die AfD probt die Machtergreifung

The article reports that in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the far-right party AfD could achieve an absolute majority in the upcoming September election—a first in postwar German history. The state government has preemptively introduced a cultural funding law to protect the arts. The AfD's platform includes a "new patriotic cultural policy" under the slogan "#deutschdenken," which explicitly targets the Bauhaus and modernist art as symbols of an "identity disorder" they promise to "heal."

"Geschichtspolitisch fatal und realitätsblind"

A German media roundup reports on a planned restructuring of the Stiftung Flucht, Vertreibung, Versöhnung (Foundation Flight, Expulsion, Reconciliation), which would shift its focus toward German expellees and reduce the influence of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. The reform, criticized by FAZ commentator Andreas Kilb as a fundamental cultural-political intervention, would detach the foundation from the German Historical Museum and give greater weight to the Federation of Expellees in its board. Separately, the roundup covers a review of a legal study on artistic freedom sparked by the antisemitism debate around Documenta Fifteen, and a speech by Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer warning of democratic backsliding and rising antisemitism.

What the renovation of the Pergamon Museum costs

Was die Sanierung des Pergamonmuseums kostet

The Pergamon Museum in Berlin is undergoing a major renovation with a total budget of €1.5 billion for both construction phases, including cost risks. The Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR) has announced that current projections indicate the overall costs will not be exceeded. Phase A, which includes the hall housing the famous Pergamon Altar, is expected to open on June 4, 2027, with a potential cost increase of up to 5% over the originally approved €489 million. Phase B, covering the Ishtar Gate and Babylonian Processional Way, has seen its cost forecast reduced by €27 million to €722.4 million, with an additional €295.6 million set aside for risks and price increases. The museum will fully reopen only in 2037.

La loi-cadre sur les restitutions définitivement adoptée par le Parlement

The French Parliament has definitively adopted a framework law on the restitution of cultural property that was illicitly acquired. The Senate unanimously approved the conclusions of the joint committee on May 7, following the National Assembly's approval on May 6, after an agreement was reached on April 30. The law establishes a general mechanism for returning objects from French public collections without requiring a specific law for each case, covering items acquired through looting, theft, forced sale, or other illicit means before the 1970 UNESCO Convention. It creates a permanent national commission and a bilateral scientific committee to assess claims, with restitution ultimately decided by government decree subject to legal review by the Council of State.

Israel Advances Bill Granting Sweeping Civilian Authority over West Bank Archaeological Sites

Israel advanced a bill on Tuesday that would grant sweeping civilian authority over antiquities and archaeology in the occupied West Bank, replacing the current military-run system. The Likud-backed legislation would create a "Judea and Samaria Heritage Authority" under the Israeli heritage minister, empowered to purchase and expropriate land, oversee excavations, and manage heritage sites across Areas B and C of the West Bank. The bill passed its first of three votes (23-14) and would be led by Amichai Eliyahu, a far-right politician who advocates for annexation. Human rights groups and the Israeli NGO Emek Shaveh warned the move amounts to de facto annexation and a violation of Palestinian rights.