A műemlékek sokszínűsége (A 28. Egri Nyári Egyetem előadásai 1998 Eger, 1998)

Előadások / Presentations - Angus FOWLER: The preservation of churches particulary timber-framed ones in Hessen

„Synagogen in Hessen - Was geschah seit 1945?" (1988) (Synagogues in Hessen - What happened since 1945?) and „Das jüdische Rituelle Tauchbad und Synagogen in Hessen Teil II" (1994) (The Jewish Ritual Bath and Synagogues in Hessen Part II) also in the series ,31aue Bücher" has brought more attention to the problems of the Jewisch architectural and cultural heritage in Hessen. As the owners of threatened churches still did not accept their new responsibilities the Förderkreis Alte Kirchen decided to take the initiative and set an example by taking over possession of these churches itself and so saving them from demolition or further decay. Owners are however often reluctant to hand over their neglected buildings preferring to demolish, let them further decay or at the best to have them transferred to Open Air Museums. One key element in the policy of the Förderkreis Alte Kirchen has been the authentic preservation of the buildings in situ so the fight to preserve churches continued into the early 1980s. The struggle of the FAK to save the timber-framed church in Bernsfeld (Vogelsberg) built ca. 1560 was taken as far as the State Parliament of Hessen (Landtag) where the motion to preserve the church in situ supported by the Christian Democrats and the Green Party with 49 votes was only narrowly defeated by the majority governing Social Democrat Party with 54 votes under strong pressure from the church authorities. In 1979 the Förderkreis Alte Kirchen was able to take over possession of its first church, the timberframed chapel in Bellnhausen, now part of the town of Gladenbach near Marburg, one of the smallest churches in Hessen, refelcting the now well-known principle of Fritz Schumacher „Small is Beautiful". As a financial base for its restoration work the FAK used income from the sale of its book „Fachwerkkirchen in Hessen". In additon the town of Gladenbach gave the money which it would have needed to demolish the church. Small grants were also received from the state conservation authority (Landesamt für Denkmalpflege Hessen) and from the local district (Kreis) Marburg-Biedenkopf. Traditional materials were used restoring the church, for instance slate on the roof, and local craftsmen using traditional methods were employed. A small plot of land with an old walnut tree attached to the church has been made into a church garden. The restoration work cost altogether about 80,000 DM, a relatively sma 11 sum. For this work the FAK received an Europa Nostra Diploma in 1981. In 1979 it had already received the German Prize for Conservation for its publicity work on the fate of old churches. Since acquiring the church in Bellnhausen the Förderkreis Alte Kirchen has taken over possession of three other churches in Niedereisenhausen, Volpertshausen and Bürgeln and is also helping with the restoration of two other timber-framed churches in Hommertshausen and Silberg which are still in the possession of the local civil council Dautphetal. (In the former Darmstädter Hinterland west of Marburg many churches and particularly timber-framed chapels were in the possession of the civil councils and not the church councils). Altogether the FAK has now over 1,5 Million DM for restoration work on the churches which it looks after, about 500.000 DM comming from the FAK's own resources (from sales of books and proceeds of events), the rest from grants by the state conservation authority, district and local councils. In no cases was money ever granted by church authorities. In all six cases the fabric of the churches is now in good order and secure from the weather. The restoration of the interior is taking place in varying stages linked with the development of suitable uses. Accompanying the restoration work building investigation and documentation (Historsiche Bauforschung und Dokumentation) has taken place as a precondition for restoration. In Bellnhausen dendrochronological research showed that the main structure of the chapel dates from 1592/93, a century before the first date 1688 recorded on a gallery. The roof construction of the church in Volpertshausen was shown to have various stages dating from 1481 and the late 17th and 18th centuries. In Niedereisenhausen the main part of the timber-framed construction on top of the medieval stone base was dated to about 1660 (the medieval church had probably been damaged in the 30 Years' War). There