When you’re 1000 or so years old, things can start getting a bit shonky.

Not talking of personal experience, of course, but Mainz cathedral is a bit like the Golden Gate bridge – once you’ve finished painting it, it’s time to start all over again.

Except in the case of the cathedral, the weather gets at the sandstone and bits start crumbling away.

And of course in the most inaccessible places.

The spire of the main tower, weighing a mere 20 tons, for example.

The cathedral’s stonemasons spent the best part of a year making an exact copy, big crane turns up, removes the old bit and hoists the new spire into place.

All in a matter of a couple of weeks.

(I had a look at the old one, actually. Nothing that a good coat of paint wouldn’t have fixed, if you ask me….)

20 Jul This entry was published on 20 July, 2013 at 13:00 and is filed under Altstadt, Architecture, History, Mainz. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.