Reutberg monastery church: the second phase of construction is underway

Created: 08/19/2022, 19:00

By: Veronika Ahn-Tauchnitz

The Reutberg monastery church is currently scaffolded.

The roof truss is being renovated at the moment.

© Bock

Construction workers are currently getting off the roof of the Reutberg monastery church.

The roof truss and the interior of the tower have been renovated for a few weeks.

The interior of the church will be renovated next year.

Sachsenkam – It cannot be overlooked that work is being done on the church: A large scaffolding obscures the view of the pilgrimage church.

Hammer blows can be heard again and again.

A lot has already happened in the roof truss from 1733 above the church.

"It's a very solid construction, but there was some damage in the eaves area," says architect Hermann Thurner.

Wood for the renovation comes from the monastery's own forest

A concept was developed together with a structural engineer.

As much as possible of the old wooden beams has been preserved, damaged areas have been removed and replaced with new wood.

For the latter, the monastery's own spruces were used, felled in the rough nights between Christmas and Epiphany.

“The wood was prepared in the sawmill 17 kilometers away.

So the distances were short.

It's sustainable and super ecological," says Thurner.

If you look down between the beams, you can see the vaulted ceiling construction of the church below.

Insulation is to be applied here, explains project manager Hans-Jürgen Dennemarck.

You have to do this with caution so that condensation does not form inside the church later on.

The interior of the tower is also being repaired

The south side of the roof is largely finished, work is still being done on the north side.

It also gets a new gutter, while the old one was preserved opposite.

This construction phase also includes the interior renovation of the tower.

Its exterior renovation was completed in 2021.

Among other things, the anchoring of the tower spire must now be renewed "so that it is not blown off the tower in strong winds".

By the way: Everything from the region is now also available in our regular Bad Tölz newsletter.

Finally, the south facade of the church gets a new coat of paint.

In the course of this, moisture damage and flaking plaster are repaired.

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This construction phase costs 890,000 euros

This renovation section, which local companies are doing, costs almost 890,000 euros.

"And we are confident that it will stay that way," says Dennemarck.

Meeting on the construction site: (from left) Sr. Benedicta, Sr. Faustina, project manager Hans-Jürgen Dennemarck, architect Hermann Thurner and Martin Englert, chairman of the circle of friends.

© Krinner

The renovation of the Reutberg monastery church has a long history.

About ten years ago, the tower in particular crumbled.

Various investigations were made and emergency backups were made.

For example, there were nets that protected the church square from falling plaster and masonry parts.

At that time, Dennemarck was still in charge of the whole thing in his capacity as diocesan master builder.

After these first measures, the project languished a bit, also because it took a few years to clarify who is actually responsible for the renovation: Rome or the archdiocese.

"In 2019 it was clarified that Rome is responsible for the monastery," says Dennemarck.

Although he himself was already retired at this point, he was now engaged as a project manager in his capacity as a freelance architect.

The tower's exterior repairs were completed last year

The exterior renovation of the tower began in 2020.

234,000 euros went into the renovation of the facade, among other things.

The copper sheet covering of the spire was repaired, and the gilding of the ball and cross renewed.

The lightning protection system is also completely new.

"Now the tower shines again in its original beauty," says Dennemarck.

The monastery has to bear part of the renovation costs itself

The biggest chunk of the overall measure is waiting for next year, when the interior renovation of the church is to begin.

Around 1.75 million euros are estimated for this.

Shell, equipment, heating, electrical installations: the list is long.

It would be conceivable that this third construction phase could be divided further, because the monastery itself has to raise around one million of the total cost of 2.87 million euros in renovation - from the monastery's assets, but above all from donations.

"We continue to be grateful for donations," says Sister Benedicta Tschugg, who has been in charge of the monastery since October 2018 as Apostolic Commissioner appointed by Rome.

The circle of friends founded in 2011 has already collected over 200,000 euros

The circle of friends of the monastery, founded in 2011 around the chairman and district home caretaker Martin Englert, continues to collect money.

Around 200,000 euros have already been raised.

"Another 50,000 euros have been promised," says Englert.

For example, 10,000 euros have been promised for the renovation of a side altar.

The association can also imagine concrete sponsorships for statues, pictures or the stars in the circle above the sanctuary.

But there are also some grants for the project.

The Archdiocese of Munich-Freising, for example, is contributing 1.1 million euros.

There are funds from monument protection programs, from the Bavarian State Foundation, the district and the municipality of Sachsenkam.

If you want to support the monastery, there is a donation account at the Liga Bank with the IBAN DE86 7509 0300 0802 1413 37

You can find more current news from the region around Bad Tölz at Merkur.de/Bad Tölz.