Learn how pollution from industrialization in Europe damaged the limestone of Cologne Cathedral
Learn how pollution from industrialization in Europe damaged the limestone of Cologne Cathedral
Repairing acid rain damage to Cologne Cathedral.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Repairing acid rain damage to Cologne Cathedral.
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© American Chemical Society (A Britannica Publishing Partner)The chemistry of graffiti removal.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Sampling clouds for acidity at Whiteface Mountain, New York.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Testing rainwater and air for acidity at a research station in the Black Forest, Germany.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, MainzLearn about the restoration of tiles in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City.
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Courtesy of Northwestern University (A Britannica Publishing Partner)Curators and scientists collaborating to colorize a black-and-white photograph, taken in 1913, that shows an unfinished version of Henri Matisse's Bathers by a River.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, MainzInvestigation into two corpses, found under Cologne Cathedral, Germany, that were buried many centuries before the present cathedral was built.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz; Thumbnail Abbie Rowe. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston; © Vasile Bobirnac/Dreamstime.com; © Carsten Reisinger/stock.adobe.comLearn how Konrad Adenauer worked to integrate West Germany into the Western community after World War II.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, MainzOverview of Angkor Wat, a temple complex in Angkor, Cambodia.
Transcript
NARRATOR: It took more than 600 years to build this grand cathedral in Cologne, Germany. Ironically, just as the last stones of the cathedral were set into place, Europe was becoming more industrialized and beginning to add significant amounts of polluting contaminants to the air. These contaminants now cause the acid rain that is slowly destroying the stonework of the cathedral. Acids in the rain attack calcium carbonate, the primary constituent of limestone and marble.
These stone carvers and craftsmen are replacing damaged sections of the building. The work combines chemistry, modern engineering, and medieval artistry to re-create the Gothic facades and sculptures that adorn the cathedral. Eroded pieces are replaced with new stones that have a much lower limestone content and therefore will better resist the corrosive effects of acid precipitation.
On scaffolding high up the cathedral walls, the new stones are set into place in the old way, using molten lead to seal the joints. Replacing individual stones and conserving these old treasures has been a costly by-product of our industrial air pollution.
These stone carvers and craftsmen are replacing damaged sections of the building. The work combines chemistry, modern engineering, and medieval artistry to re-create the Gothic facades and sculptures that adorn the cathedral. Eroded pieces are replaced with new stones that have a much lower limestone content and therefore will better resist the corrosive effects of acid precipitation.
On scaffolding high up the cathedral walls, the new stones are set into place in the old way, using molten lead to seal the joints. Replacing individual stones and conserving these old treasures has been a costly by-product of our industrial air pollution.