Second to Skånis, AF-Borgen might be the among the places LundaEkonomer after graduation associate most of all with their time at the Scanian plain. Taking into consideration all Novice Parties as well as Vinterbalen and Pytten, there can be no doubt that the previous statement was not way too bold. And AF-Borgen is of course not only of large importance to LundaEkonomerna, but to att students in Lund.
AF-Borgen was built in 1851 and has since then been renovated a couple of times, the most recent one was in 1994. That is now 25 years ago, believe it or not, and as 250 000 persons annually go to AF-borgen in order to attend dinner parties, spex and conferences, as well as taking part in the varied student life Lund has to offer, this is of course something that affects the condition of the castle, temple, or whatever you now would like to call it, around which student life in this town we call Lund orbit.
As it has been a long time since the latest major renovation, we are going to to see a new renovation take place beginning this spring. The renovation of the great hall at AF, which might be among the first things one comes to think about, will take place next autumn. I am actually going to give you a tip; go to https://www.af.lu.se/sv-af-borgens-historia/ and check out the picture of the great hall from 1897. The entire hall might look a bit unpractical, yes, but in the same time, I find it very hard not to like it. If we would see something like this after the renovation this fall I would very much like it, but I don’t find it likely to happen.
It is only the great hall that will be renovated during the process. A new stair from café Athen up to the Great Hall on the second floor, a new stage on the ground floor suitable for speeches and shows with up to 130 guests in the public. A new elevator located by St: Annegatan will also be built, as well as a new cloakroom on the ground floor, more toilets, and also a new patio towards Lundagård. The total cost of the renovation will be approximately 80 million SEK, which has been collected thanks to generous donations from various companies and associations. However, in this, the cost for furniture such as tables, chairs, and stage equipment is not included, and still need to be financed.
And this is where you ask yourself; what does this mean for LundaEkonomerna? Well, we will still see many celebrations at AF-Borgen during the academic year of 2019-2020, but it looks like LundaEkonomerna will have to find a new place for Vinterbalen 2019. Where will that be held, you may wonder? Well, no decision has yet been made so not much can be done except than to wait and see what the future has in store. However, we can all hope that AF-Borgen will be able to stand a bit longer thanks to the renovation coming up, and grant joy for many, many generations of LundaEkonomer and other students in Lund to come.
