Munnerstadt: historic roof truss causes headaches

There is good news. The static stabilization of the north facade of the parish church, a basic prerequisite for the further renovation of the church, has already been completed. The bulge on the north side of the church facade, which has been visible for years, can no longer continue to expand and thus damage the masonry. However, this small belly remains visible.

The masonry has been stabilized by means of a ring anchor and so-called needle anchors. 60 such needle anchors now connect the double-shell masonry, explains architect ralf alsheimer of architekturburo grellmann, kriebel und teichmann. The new ring anchoring, which is to improve the entire statics, is clearly visible in the roof truss, which is currently exposed.

The unpleasant news comes from the historic roof truss on the north side. "We knew this one was bad", ralf alsheimer explains. "But it is still much worse than expected". Only when the roof was covered, the extent of the damage became really visible. All previous examinations of the substance were only possible from the attic; from there, however, the complete overview and view was not possible. Even a layman can see the damage now. At the ends, many of the softwood beams are crumbling; in some cases, the roof structure is displaced. The problems are probably not new. During previous renovations of the building, craftsmen had already found temporary solutions to lay tiles on the partially sagging wooden rafters.

City pastor P. Markus reis hopes that, despite the new findings, a largely cost-neutral solution can be found to conserve the historic roof structure. This must be preserved; a requirement of the preservation order. The architects christian teichmann and ralf alsheimer, together with master roofer michael weigand (wermerichshausen), were therefore on site for consultation. "The solution must remain within the cost framework", also emphasizes christian teichmann.

One function will be the historic construction from the 17. The roof renovation will no longer be necessary in the twenty-first century, explains architect teichmann. In the course of the ongoing work, a new roof truss will take over the tasks of the old structure. The old one remains as a historical monument.

The construction site is currently protected by a temporary roof, which encloses the north side of the church. It was a rather unusual removal, but it was necessary because the church is so valuable, explains architect christian teichmann. In view of the rainfall in the last few days, city pastor P. Markus reis satisfied that this enclosure will protect the church from the wet. It has been preserved, ralf alsheimer also confirms during a walk-through. The construction site remained dry.

Inside the church, work on the stained glass windows will not begin before september or october. Currently, coordinating talks are underway, explains P. Markus rice. In the course of the stained-glass window restoration, the riemenschneider altar must also be dismantled. The valuable figures will be stored in wurzburg. The transport must be arranged in the next few weeks, according to P. Markus.

Worries P. Markus naturlich how much the building oratory of the diocese is influencing the church renovation that is underway. And there is another one coming. The church foundation has to bear a rough share of the costs. But the city’s pastor lacks the rough jolt in the burghers, who recognize that the church foundation needs everyone’s commitment to make the renovation financially feasible. "It makes me sick to my stomach how we are going to be able to raise our own contribution of 200,000 euros". At present, according to P. Markus, a fundraising campaign is being worked on for the restoration of the stained glass windows. In his opinion, however, more events had to follow in order to raise larger sums of money.