THE SILHOUETTE OF LÜBECK
so that the earth would cling to the sky, people would knock
church towers into it
Seven copper nails, not to be outweighed
with gold
(Reiner Kunze 'in his own hope'. poems, Frankfurt am Main 1981, 44)
With its two 114m high towers in the west work, the cathedral is part of the world-famous "seven towers" silhouette of the city and thus also belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lübeck. The cathedral is included in the list of architectural monuments of the Hanseatic City of Lübeck and it is a medieval building of cultural monument of national importance. For the inhabitants of Lübeck, it is one of the indispensable buildings of their hometown.
Under the influence of wind, rain and frost, damage to the masonry and vaults has occurred time and again during the cathedral's almost 850-year history. The damage is partly due to the material of the church itself, partly as a "legacy" of the destructive effect of the bombing of Lübeck in 1942, and partly to be classified as normal aging processes.
The upcoming restoration of the cathedral towers, including the masonry, will take eight to ten years and cost about 23 million euros.
The financing is a great challenge! At the same time, the trust and identification of Lübeck's citizens with their churches are the capital stock that prompts people, institutions and companies to actively support this mammoth project through personal commitment or donations.
Detailed information about the redevelopment measures (german)
