The restoration work was completed by the National Museum of Denmark (NMD) and the Cultural Ministry of the Scandinavian nation. The tavern was opened for the public on February 28.
Project head of the restoration drive, 'Serampore Initiative', Bente Wolff said, "When we had visited the place in 2010, the front part had completely given way and a small portion of the first floor remained. It was in a state of total decay."
"The Denmark Tavern and Hotel, which came up in 1786, was located at the place in Serampore - along side a river ghat where the Danes kept their articles," Rasten said.
The tavern was restored with traditional materials like lime and molasses, and a conventional roof-thumping method was used to make it waterproof by a group of skilled masons from Murshidabad and South 24 Parganas districts, conservationist Manish Chakraborti, who had overseen the project, said.
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NMD architect Flemming Aalund assisted Chakraborti in the task, which began in 2016.
The Danish Tavern will now function as a coffee house, with some rooms rented out by the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation.
Chakraborti said this was the second Danish-backed conservation project after the nearby St Olav's Church project in Serampore, which was restored in 2016.
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