Munich's famous landmark once again revealed to the world

The North Tower of the Frauenkirche has now been successfully restored

For three years the North Tower of Munich's Frauenkirche was hidden behind railings. Now the restoration work is complete and the scaffolding is being dismantled. And of course a GEDA construction hoist was involved in the comprehensive restoration works.

The façade of the cathedral has long been a source of worry: Parts of the exterior wall were already secured with netting before the renovation because pieces of brick and stone were forever coming loose. Especially on the exposed side rainwater had so badly clogged up the masonry that a total refurbishment of the crumbling façade was unavoidable.
For months the restorers inspected brick after brick and chemists and structural engineers tried to establish how far the water had penetrated into the masonry and how badly it was damaged. As part of the subsequent restoration, natural stone from Nagelfluh in the Alpine foothills was used on the lower part of the Frauenkirche. Bricks also had to be replaced and the joint network repaired to avoid the penetration of any more moisture.

Transportation of people and materials up to the dome.

Throughout the refurbishment work on the North Tower a GEDA Multilift P18 Comfort transported the workers upwards quickly and safely. The Bavarian lift manufacturer GEDA-Dechentreiter GmbH & Co.KG received the order through its partner BNS in Chemnitz who works closely with the Munich scaffolding builder SGM. The hoist from the Multilift series was provided directly to the city of Munich for the duration of the construction work.
The assembly height at the Frauenkirche was 90 metres with 23 different stops to ensure that all the different levels could be easily accessed. The integrated landing call box with its digital display in the hoist makes it easy and practical to use, since just as in a domestic lift, the hoist can stop at every floor merely by pressing a button. Jerky starts or braking are avoided through the integrated frequency control.
It goes without saying that safety features such as the speed-dependent GEDA safety gear and overload protection, as well as limit switches at the top and bottom levels, are part of the standard Multilift features provided. GEDA landing-level safety gates ensured the safe transfer from the hoist to the different levels on the scaffolding. These are mechanically locked and electrically monitored so that the device does not stop or start if the landing-level safety gates are not closed correctly.
It is particularly in restricted spaces in city centres where the benefits of the GEDA Multilift become clear. Its flat, space-saving cable bin, yet another GEDA innovation, has already been integrated into the enclosure and cannot be seen at first sight. In comparison with the larger personnel and material hoists, the Multilift hoists operate with fewer square metres of surface area.

The refurbishment is continuing...

To repair damages more quickly or even to avoid them totally, Munich's historically important structure will in future be under constant observation as part of a building maintenance programme.
For the first time since 2008 the Munich population and visitors to the city have been able to marvel again at its beauty - before the South Tower disappears behind scaffolding in autumn 2013.

1400