The tower bell of the St. Jakobus in Hahnbach parish church
New Tecu-Classic covering
Hans Christian Lang
The start of construction works was planned for October 30 2003, but the bats disrupted this schedule. In order to protect them, one part of the garret was separated with a membrane. The roofing and guttering works, therefore, started only on February 4 2004. In order to comply with the end date of the works, the specialised roofing and guttering firms Josef Schlosser of Pfreimd and Hans Lang & Sohn of Weiden in der Oberfalz created a working community that gave excellent results. Punctually May 5 2004 all the roofing and guttering works were completed. Almost on time, since the protection of bats is scheduled from September 1 until May 1 each year.
Originally, concerning the costs the idea was to repair only the copper covering of the tower bell. However after a detailed analysis, the contractor decided to make a completely new copper covering, and to renew the wooden structure of the tower. Within this framework, in addition, the decision was taken to reopen the lantern of the tower bell, closed during a previous restoration. An element that conferred to the tower bell, in general, that kind of "twist ".
The catholic parish church St. Jakobus is a building in squared sandstone of 15th century. A three-aisles basilica, choir with the same width of the central nave. The tower bell to the west was built in 1521. With a pyramidal roof, crowned by an octagonal lantern, in its turn towered by an onion-shaped tower. The bearing point is at a height of 38 m.
The restoration works planning was assigned to the architecture practice Schmucker of Regensburg that made a detailed description of the works with specifications and gave a five-year guarantee. The first step was the dismantling of the old covering of the tower, the coating of the lantern and the draining system of the roof. Since this first step, the issue of not disrupting religious services such as masses and funerals with the noise of the works was taken into account. Clearly this was also true for the works relative to the interventions for the new covering.
To guarantee uniform functionality, dimensions and colour, the architect required all copper semi-finished products to be from the same manufacturer. So the product he proposed, Tecu-Classic of KM Europa Metal AG of Osnabrück was accepted, 0,7 mm thick. Only for decorative cornices in the upper and lower part of the lantern, for reasons of stability and to guarantee a better capability of welding, copper 1,00 mm thick was used.
The roofing and guttering works included, in addition to the covering of the tower bell clock with converse with rounded folds on the pyramidal roof, also the new cover of the entire lantern and of the "onion" of the small tower. Inside this publishing, some pictures show the conditions of the old and new cover.
Captions
page 65
Overall view of the parish church St. Jakobus of Hahnbach with the copper crown on the tower bell, at the end of the restoration. At present there is still the scaffolding with protection screens; the beautiful and ancient facade in sandstone will be restored already by the end of the year.
The connection between the covering with tiles the covering slabs and the trunk of the lantern coated with copper (later tightness was obtained with silicone and patented rivets), before the work, looked this way.
page 67
The lantern, built in 1521, is supported by wooden columns coated with copper with decorative cornice and wooden archways. Probably, due to the weak weatherproofing of the floor of the lantern, it was closed.
After the Second World War unknown repairers renewed the drainage system of the tower with rainspouts and fittings in zinc-plated steel. Their duration was clearly limited by the contact with copper elements positioned above the upper part. And protective paint, applied externally, was little useful.
Now, at the end of roofing and guttering works, the lantern entirely coated and the onion of the small tower made with a transversal strip covering are ready to face at best the next one hundred years.
Wood columns, and ornamental cornices, with their new copper outfit.
Welding works, made with TIG welding, on the chamfer of lantern’s cornice, for reasons connected with fire prevention could be carried out only with fine weather or with adequate protection systems.
Also lantern’s floor sections are made with a welding process.
Lantern’s floor finished with covering cap. At present welding joints can still be seen, however they will soon oxidise and take on the same colour as copper.
page 69
View of lantern’s sky. At the centre the date is stamped: 2004. Here copper sections are directly fastened using alloy steel screws.
Connection between the octagonal tower and its crown. The ventilation of the onion of the tower occurs under the copper vault.
After assembling the gilded sphere and the weathercock, the roofing guttering worker and the councillor of Evangelic churches talk.
The new tower bell, coated with copper with the lantern, the onion and the tip. On it a gilded ball was installed as well as the weathercock. After natural oxidation copper already features a wonderful and warm brown shade. Actually roofing and guttering workers can be proud of this work.
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