Following the completion of work on the façade restoration of the east choir of Naumburg Cathedral, restoration work has also begun on the façade of the west choir as a next step. There are black deposits on the base of the west choir, but due to natural sprinkling and weathering, the crust pattern is far less pronounced here than it was on the east choir façade.
Underneath the approx. 4-metre-high cornice, careful cleaning work is now being carried out with the help of fine blasters, analogous to the work on the east choir, before damaged joints are repaired in a second step. This work is intended to ensure that the historic building and its substance will be preserved for many more centuries.
The measures are funded by the German Foundation for Monument Protection.
Background Information
Naumburg Cathedral was built of limestone. Weathering and ageing conditions in recent decades have led to varying degrees of blackening of the historic façades. This dark discolouration is caused by the deposition of a hard gypsum crust on the surface, which can be damaging to the substance of the building material. Under the gypsum crust, the limestone can soften, which in the long term can lead to damage and even the loss of the stone.
The east choir of Naumburg Cathedral was particularly affected by these discolourations and the formation of crusts due to the weather. Therefore, restoration work has already been carried out here in recent years, which was intensively accompanied by the Saxony-Anhalt State Office for the Preservation of Monuments and Archaeology and ICOMOS.
