Worms/Wiesbaden (dpa) – Due to climate change and drought, sinking groundwater can endanger monuments on wooden foundations or clay layers. In the case of Mainz Cathedral, for example, this danger existed a long time ago, the synagogue in Worms in Rhineland-Palatinate is currently being damaged – and experts also consider this risk to be possible with some monuments in neighboring Hesse.
The geologist Michael Auras from the Institute for Stone Conservation in Mainz explains: “Under water nothing happens to oak beams if there is no access to oxygen. The pile dwellings in Lake Constance, for example, are very stable.” However, if oxygen gets to the foundation beams when the groundwater level is falling, they could rot.
According to the Institute for Historical Regional Studies in Rhineland-Palatinate, the Mainz Cathedral, for example, had concrete foundations installed between 1914 and 1928 because its wooden pile gratings had begun to rot as a result of the Rhine being straightened and the groundwater in the air falling as a result.
According to the geologist Auras, the layers of clay under the synagogue in Worms released more and more stored water in the recent past due to increasing drought. “So the sound tightened and the western front started to sink,” Auras explained. Therefore, an “extensive support” and constant monitoring have become necessary. The synagogue is part of the world heritage of the so-called Schum sites Worms, Speyer and Mainz, centers of Jewish learning in the Middle Ages. At a conference in Worms in March 2023, experts also discussed a suitable permanent renovation of the synagogue.
On the other side of the Rhine, Karin Bek from the State Office for the Preservation of Monuments in Wiesbaden explains: “So far, we are not aware of any current examples in Hesse where damage to cultural monuments can be proven/secured as a result of the falling groundwater level.” However, sinking groundwater, long periods of drought and extreme weather are “basically also a danger to cultural heritage – be it buildings, parks or historic gardens”. According to Bek, the Hessian Conservation of Monuments is “still in the process of collecting and evaluating data at the federal level” with other institutions. In the event of problems, tailor-made individual solutions would always have to be developed. New ideas and methods are needed to preserve historical heritage in the face of the challenges of climate change.
2023-08-13 18:33:01
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