The world-famous Berliner Philharmonie concert hall, home to the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra, had large sections of its zinc roof damaged by fire and might not be reopened until June, the orchestra said on Wednesday.
According to orchestra director Pamela Rosenberg, concerts originally scheduled to be held in the hall over the weekend will have to be moved to other venues in Berlin.
The fire broke out at about 14:00 hours local time (13:00 GMT) under the roof on Tuesday. About 300 people who were in the house were immediately evacuated. No injuries were reported.
Welding work on the roof of the house probably sparked the fire and set ablaze the building's insulation. Firefighters had to cut open part of the roof in order to get to the burning material.
They managed to put out the fire using extinguishing foam and a limited amount of water in order to minimize damages to the Berlin landmark as well as instruments inside.
About 1,600 square meters of the roof was burned but the main concert hall remains intact, the Berlin fire department said.
"Fortunately the worst fears have not materialized," said Andre Schmitz, Berlin's state secretary of culture.
Designed by Hans Scharoun, the tent-like Berlin Philharmonie was inaugurated in 1963 by Herbert von Karajan, the Philharmonic's longest-serving principal conductor.
Source:Xinhua
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