After the salvage planned for Tuesday had to be postponed due to still too strong gusts of wind, the crane boom, which had fallen on the freshly renovated roof of the cathedral in the night to Monday, could be successfully lifted on Wednesday morning, and then transported away. After the necessary securing, the approximately 45-metre-long steel part could be removed from the roof with the help of two mobile cranes. This took a total of almost five hours, especially as extreme caution was required to avoid causing further damage to the cathedral. After the successful recovery, the damaged components will be checked to find out why the boom had snapped off in the storm in the first place. Waterproofing and securing work is currently taking place on the damaged roof. After their completion, the cathedral and the cathedral tower can be reopened to the public. The cathedral museum is already open again from Thursday, February 13.
"Despite great challenges in difficult weather conditions, the specialists were able to successfully recover the approximately five-ton crane boom," says mayor and church deputy Uwe Becker. "Work will already begin today to remove the traces of the accident from our Frankfurt skyline landmark as quickly as possible."
"I am very relieved that the crane boom could be recovered safely and that no further damage was caused to the cathedral," said Jan Schneider, head of the department for construction and real estate, who was also present during the recovery. "My thanks go to all those involved, from cathedral architect Julia Lienemeyer to the architect of the cathedral renovation and the employees of the crane rental company to the city police and fire brigade, whose quick actions prevented anything worse from happening. Now the staff at the Department of Building and Real Estate can get to work repairing the roof that was just freshly tiled. I'm sure that the aftermath of this tragic accident will soon be seen no more."
The crash of the pin boom damaged the east and west roofs of the south aisle. The ridge structure was also affected. The amount of damage has not yet been determined. The roof will first be provisionally sealed to prevent rain from penetrating. The crane, which is about 50 meters high, was used for the roof and facade renovation at the cathedral in the past years. Regular dismantling was scheduled for Thursday, February 13.
