Czechs offer to renovate Turkish parliament’s chandeliers damaged during coup attempt

ANKARA

The Czech Republic has offered to restore the crystal chandeliers inside the Turkish parliament, which was greatly damaged on the night of July 15 when it was bombarded by jets as part of the attempted coup activities. 

As the Turkish parliament launched construction works to restore parts of the building that were greatly damaged by the jets, Czech officials conveyed their interest in providing true-to-original new chandeliers to replace the damaged ones located in the VIP lounge, the group heads’ floors and the prime minister’s floor. 

Ordered and assembled during the parliament building’s construction between 1938 and 1961, the brand of the chandeliers was identified as Venini but their country of origin has not been confirmed yet. Speculating they may have been Czech in origin encouraged the Czechs, known for their famous Bohemian crystals, to offer the restoration free of cost. 

While Czech representatives were working to identify the original production company of the chandeliers, the parliament head office decided to carry out their renovation after the major overhaul it has been going through.

Turkish officials were also thinking over the possibility that the chandeliers might have been produced in Murano, Italy, as Venini was an Italian brand.   

The Czech offer will be evaluated after they prove the origin of the chandeliers was their country. If it is determined the chandeliers did not come from the Czech Republic, sourcing work is expected to be carried out with the Italians.