Thread: Old tools and machinery in Colgne Cathedral

Well, I've just arrived back (last week) from a trip to Europe.
Sadly, I didn't manage to visit any of the many places BT had suggested to see - family things took precedence. However, I did manage to see a few interesting and old tools and machines during an impromptu visit to the 900 year old Cologne cathedral, on a guided tour of the inner and upper sanctum by my brother who is a sculptor and stone mason there.
During fit-out in the 19th and early 20th century, temporary workshops were establised in the main roof space (about 30 meters up). Some of the tools and machines were left there since then and are occasionally still used.
Sorry about the quality of the photos, but it was quite dim there and I only had my phone camera with me....

The last two photos show the results of an interesting accident. The St Peters bell cast in 1923 in one of the cathedral's towers was refitted in 1951 following welding of a crack, along with a new 800kg bronze clapper. A couple of years ago, this clapper broke off at full swing across 2 of the 4 bolts holding it to it's hinge. The fracture face (in the second last photo) is about 400x90mm. It landed on a metal grate used for access. Had it fallen onto the wooden floor below the bell, it would have crashed through and fallen through the ceiling into the main church space - with unimaginable potential consequences. It turned out to be metal fatigue and a new clapper was forged in stainless steel with a huge safety factor and a lot less weight.

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Hi Joe,

Welcome back! that must have been an interesting tour, inside the workings of the cathedral.. The story I've heard is that the devil cursed the construction, saying that while he couldn't stop it's construction, but he could stop it from ever being finished.... 900 years later it's still under construction, must be good for your brother to know he has some guaranteed job security.

Regards
Ray

You blokes and your phone cameras......

That bandsaw is a thing of beauty Joe and a near pristine camelback drill is a seldom seen thing. We visited the Kölner Dom back in 1985. Back when I was a fledgling woodie. My eyes would have popped looking at that gear if only I'd had the chance.

BT

Great pics of the way how things use to be done. Don't know the Devils story about the Cathedral never being finished, do know that Koln was heavily bombed during WW2, the Cathedral lost most of its roof. Have seen old black and white pics of Koln city taken by an allied plane of the devastation incurred by the bombs dropped. Did a trip to Europe in 2011 through Germany, off again this Saturday for another 3 weeks driving tour.

DD

I lived for a while in Freiburg in the Black Forrest. I'd suggest it as a stop if you tour Germany, though it gets a little busy in summer ... well like most pretty places in Europe I guess. The story of it during the war was a pathfinder aircraft accidentally dropped a flare to signal the target zone on Freiburg by mistake. The following bombers levelled the place, all except the monster cathedral which survived essentially without a mark on it. The photos of the aftermath are some of the most extraordinary I've seen. When you see the size of the cathedral you'll understand why.

Pete