The Cathedral Always in View

What exactly does a “cathedral master builder” actually do? Dr. Jan Richarz (42) had to smile a little: “I don’t really have a short answer to that question. I hope the capacity of your recording device is sufficient. A Dombaumeister has a huge range of tasks.” Since February 1, 2023, the RWTH alumnus with a doctorate in architectural history has been the new Dombaumeister of Aachen Cathedral, succeeding Helmut Maintz.

The cathedral and its immediate surroundings are not unfamiliar territory for Jan Richarz, who was born in Düren. Long before he applied to become Dombaumeister, he took part in a research project on the Carolingian Aula Regia, on whose foundations the Aachen Town Hall now stands. He was also involved in excavations between the cathedral and Ursulinerstraße, which brought Roman water pipes to light in 2009.

From 2000 to 2009, Richarz studied civil engineering, architectural history, history, and political science at RWTH. After completing his studies, he worked in research for Landschaftsverband Rheinland and the Department for Historic Building Conservation and Research at RWTH. “Everything civil engineering-related is definitely helpful for my work. For example, you need to know the following: How does the building behave? How does the load-bearing structure work? What were the main ideas in constructing the cathedral? I always felt that was missing somewhat from my architectural history studies.”

In 2020, Jan Richarz completed his doctorate at RWTH’s Faculty of Architecture, choosing “Reconstructing Aachen: Reconstruction Through Translocation” as his thesis subject. In June of this year, he received the renowned Paul Clemen Prize from Landschaftsverband Rheinland for his dissertation. The term translocation refers to the relocation of structures: A building is disassembled and reassembled at a different location. “In the post-war period, a lot of old facades were simply adhered to new buildings in Aachen,” said Richarz, adding: “It was a type of city design rooted in the spirit of the old Aachen cityscape.” Jan Richarz was inspired to write his dissertation on this topic through working on the estate of Leo Hugot, former holder of both the Stadtkonservator and Dombaumeister offices for the Landschaftsverband, having accepted these positions after completing his studies.

Now Jan Richarz is Aachen Cathedral’s Dombaumeister himself – and can talk about his many and varied tasks: “I've just come down from the scaffolding, where I was talking to a stonemason about the cathedral’s masonry substrate. I spoke to the restorers about the laser cleaning process of the figures. On other days, there are video conferences with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre in Paris or tasks related to internal construction organization or facility management. In addition to the cathedral, I am also responsible for the Aachen Cathedral Treasury and the Cathedral Choir School, as well as for external storage facilities and other properties.

We regularly discuss which measures need to be taken. Tenders must be drawn up. And research is always conducted as well. There are many requests for lectures and guided tours.” And that is just a selection of the activities that Jan Richarz has to deal with in his new role – surprises included: “Unexpected things always happen; something breaks or needs to be serviced. Then you have to act and find solutions.” In a nutshell, there is no such thing as a typical day in the life of a Dombaumeister.

Dombauhütte – the “Caring Hand”

Luckily, he is supported in carrying out all the above tasks by the staff of the Dombauhütte, the “caring hand” of the cathedral. As Dombaumeister, Jan Richarz is also head of the Dombauhütte, a very special institution to him: “The Dombauhütten themselves, or, specifically, the craft techniques and customary practices of these cathedral workshops, are registered on the Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists. We are not only trying to preserve the buildings but do so in a very special way, close to the traditions handed down over the ages. Therefore, a combination of modern research and traditional methods and techniques characterizes the Dombauhütte.” For example, the Aachen Dombauhütte team regularly partners with the RWTH Institute of Building Materials Research (ibac), which helps them develop stone substitutes and grout for the various construction phases. “We get precise instructions from ibac on how to mix the substrate. And the craftsmen from our contracted companies then follow these instructions and use the product.”

Challenges

Richarz and his team are often faced with puzzles, such as, currently, the moss growth on the south side of the cathedral: “This is irritating and may, in part, have something to do with changes in air quality and humidity levels. Which raises the question: What effect will this have on the building in the long term? For now, we can only observe matters so we can act quickly should it become necessary to prevent damage; in other words, ’get ahead of the situation,’ as the saying goes.” In general, you always have to keep an eye on things, check them out, and feel them out.

However, this is just one of many challenges. Digitalization also plays an essential role for the new Dombaumeister: “We are trying to improve digital access to our World Heritage Site so that researchers can access relevant data from the outside for their studies, but it should also serve laypersons’ simple information requests.” Another challenge is financing the measures to preserve the cathedral. Although there is funding from the federal government and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the work of the Karlsverein-Dombauverein – i.e., the acquisition of donations – is also necessary to carry out important building surveys. It’s practically a permanent construction site, said Richarz.

2023 Aachen Pilgrimage

The famous Aachen pilgrimage took place again this past summer. This traditional pilgrimage has brought Christian pilgrims to Aachen every seven years for more than 600 years. Over the span of ten days, around 110,000 people visited the cathedral. It was also an event that required the special attention of the Dombaumeister and his team. In particular, the high CO₂ content of the air exhaled by so many visitors promotes corrosion of the marble in the cathedral. So, the values are precisely monitored using a measuring system. “When the cathedral is opened for church services, the CO₂ content increases enormously. We air the building later so that the stale air is vented out again.” A technical count via a camera system means that those responsible always have an exact overview of the number of people on site. In 2022, around one million people visited the cathedral. Currently, there are around 8,200 visitors a day.

Making the Dombaumeister Proud

Jan Richarz often rides his bike to work in the morning from his home in Stolberg. Involuntarily, his scrutinizing gaze falls on the cathedral. The challenges of preserving Aachen Cathedral demand enormous commitment and creativity from the new Dombaumeister and his team. But Richarz is optimistic: “Aachen Cathedral is over 1,200 years old and has been through much more than we can even imagine. It survived an earthquake in 803 and is still standing. It survived a major world war in which everything around it was reduced to rubble and still stands. It sure makes one proud to be able to work for it.”

– Author: Dietrich Hunold