Save the tower!

Save the
Tower!
Is there any immediate danger?
K
C
For bank transfers from other countries:
IBAN: DE87 1002 0000 2780 7800 00
BIC-/SWIFT-Code: BE BE DE BB
The service number +049(0) 30. 3109 - 4000 is
open Monday to Friday from 8.00 to 20.00h and
on Saturdays from 8.00 to 15.00h
Direct debits can be arranged here or you can
register for a joint-sponsorship.
Published by:
Stiftung Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche
Lietzenburger Straße 39
D-10789 Berlin
E-Mail: [email protected]
Fax: +49(0)30 – 217 60 90
Layout: kaiserwetter
Title photo: publicon verlag / Katharina Dorn; retouching by kaiserwetter
Other photos: rwb, kaiserwetter
Official media partner:
Principle official sponsors:
2nd revised impression 07/08
www.ein-kirchturm-der-bewegt.de
To date (late May 2008) 400,000 euros have already been
donated.
Support is being given by the Berlin Senate and Berlin
businesses.
Photo: publicon verlag/ Katharina Dorn; retouching by kaiserwetter
Stiftung Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche
Account No. 22 222 at the Berliner Bank
(Sort Code 100 200 00).
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Please help by sending your
donation to:
Thank you!
Sincere thanks to all donors.
HE
WER OF T
The joint you sponsor will be exactly pinpointed and recorded on a sponsor’s certificate. When renovation work
is completed, a scroll with the names of all the sponsors
will be bricked into the Old Tower.
www.fugenpate.de
TO
Every donation is welcome and valuable. To those who
wish to show their special commitment, the Kaiser
­Wilhelm Memorial Church Foundation offers the chance
to sponsor a selected joint for a donation of 100 euros.
Sponsorships are available to suit all personal budgets.
O
EM U
WILHELM M YO
Sponsor a joint!
ER
Estimates amount to about
3.5 million euros. This considerable sum is caused
by the size of the building.
Complete scaffolding for
the 68-metre high tower
must be erected internally
and externally and must
be specially stable to resist
the strong winds at this height. The construction work will
start by the time the financing is assured.
IS
What will it cost and why?
A
As far as can be judged, there is no risk that
whole stones or pieces will fall from the façade. In
June 2008 the complete façade was checked for
loose parts by masons using mountain-climbing
techniques. Further checks take place at regular
intervals.
LP
www.ein-kirchturm-der-bewegt.de
What’s the problem?
What must be done?
The Old Tower of the Kaiser Wilhelm
Memorial Church must be saved from
decay.
With its unmistakable silhouette, the Old
Tower is one of the most famous Berlin
landmarks and the focus of the west
part of the city between the Kurfürstendamm and the Tauentzienstrasse.
Its ruined form keeps alive the memory
of war and at the same time is a
The complete stone facade
of the tower and the exposed
brickwork must be checked
and made waterproof. For
this to be done, complete
interior and exterior scaffolding needs to be erected.
sign of hope calling
for peace.
A million visitors from Berlin and all
over the world visit the Memorial Hall
each year.
On Fridays visitors are invited to join
in the Prayer of Reconciliation at the
Coventry Cross of Nails.
The tower is the sole remaining part of
the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
(built 1891-1895 by the architect Franz
Schwechten) after it was destroyed by
bombing in 1943.
Plans during the 1950’s to demolish it
were stopped after a storm of protest
from the Berlin population. Since 1961,
the Old Tower has been a central element of the ensemble of the new Kaiser
Wilhelm Memorial Church designed
by Egon Eiermann. The tower was last
renovated and made secure in the years
1982 to 1984.
Water penetration via these cracks causes
flaking in frosty weather and loss of adhesion between the stonework and the bricks
behind. All the joints and cracks must be
scraped out and refilled with special mortar or stone substitute, while crumbling
parts of the masonry must be removed.
The facade has a total surface area of 5
300 square metres, that is about two-thirds
the area of a football pitch.
A real job for specialists!
The drainpipes and lead coverings, metal parts of
the stairs and landings, the steel doors, the interior
concrete ceilings, the clock mechanism and the carillon
are in part over 40 years old.
Why is this so urgent?
If renovation work does not start as soon as possible, even
more water will penetrate the masonry. Unfavourable weather in winter may cause further damage and thus increase
costs. In the medium term it is to be feared that the building
will become dangerous, forcing closure and the cordoningoff of the site and making the cost of renovation prohibitive.
Why was nothing done before?
Cracks in the joints between the stonework of the façade, in the stone blocks
themselves and in the brickwork are
the main problem. They are caused by
ageing, exposure to the weather and
by constant vibration from the underground railway and heavy traffic close
to the church.
The tower is checked by building experts every year and
minor damage repaired.
A thorough examination in the
autumn of 2006 revealed the
need to renew the pointing.
During the summer of 2007
the surveyors’ report was
reviewed by further experts,
who confirmed the findings
and the measures to be taken.