 Projekt med renovering av monumentet över slaget vid LeipzigThe Monument of the Battle of the Nations is one of Leipzig's famous landmarks. It is the largest monument in Europe, and makes a very prominent and striking landmark. The battle, known as the Battle of the Nations, was fought in front of the Leipzig gates between the 16th and 19th of October 1813. It was the war of liberation which lead to Napoleon's defeat at the hands of the Austrian, Prussian, Russian and Swedish troops.
The one-time point of focus of the action in the south-east of the city is where the foundations of the monument were laid on 18th October 1898. Bruno Schmitz, an architect from Berlin, was the architect of the monument and it was inaugurated in 1913. Clemens Thieme, who also built the crypt, was the builder. The Monument of the Battle of the Nations stands tall at 91 m. The monument has 500 steps from the pedestal to the viewing platform at the top. Most of these steps reach the top in narrow spirals. Two elevators which take you up to the medium level viewing platform at 57 meters have been recently built. The Monument of the Battle of the Nations needs to be restored. Reconstruction and restoration work started in 2003 and should be completed by 2013, the year the monument celebrates its centenary. The costs would amount to around 30 million euros. The restoration work is being financed by the foundation of the Monument of the Battle of the Nations, the Free State of Saxony, the government of Leipzig and through donations. Apart from sealing work, restoration measures also include installing different fall protection systems since a lot of risk is involved when maintaining the technical systems (lighting, lightning protection, antennas, electrical systems). Working at great heights on the monument facade could involve the risk of falling.
Xenon - rope systemSeveral Xenon type anchorage devices were installed on the exterior of the monument, just a few meters below the topmost platform. This steel rope system enables the user to move along the facade safely. The advantages of the cable system are evident: it can be adjusted according to the building structure, is practically inconspicuous when seen from the ground, is cost-effective, extremely easy-to-handle and provides optimum safety. The user must wear a full body harness and use a lanyard (length 2-3 m) with a Xenon shuttle to connect to the steel rope. Thanks to an opening mechanism, the Xenon shuttle can be detached from the rope at any point. GlideLoc - fall arrest laddersLadders are required to access some platforms. Permanent fall arrest ladders could not be mounted on the monument due to obvious reasons. A temporary solution was thus essential. The solution was: Soll insertion ladders. Mounting brackets were used exclusively to fix the ladders on the monument. A ladder of the GlideLoc Y-Spar type is made of lightweight aluminium, and has mounting brackets that are inserted in the eyelets of the bracket on the building. A locking bolt at the centre of each of the three brackets prevents the ladder from accidental release. The total length of the ladder is 3640 mm, and it is divided into eleven rungs. The upper part of the central spar protrudes 1 m and has no rungs. This makes it easy for a person to climb on to a platform.
RAP - anchorage pointsAs the third safety measure against falling, anchorage points of the Soll RAP type were installed immediately next to all brackets for insertion ladders and at other places. They ensure protection against falling when a ladder is fixed. They are also used by the user to fasten himself to the Xenon system when he climbs over the outside wall from the safe platform. A special advantage of these temporary anchorage points is that the user can carry the anchor eyebolt from one anchorage point to the other. Anchorage points or even anchor sleeves can be fixed on the rock and even locked to prevent them from getting dirty when not in use. They are then almost concealed. The installation of the fall protection system in the third construction stage started in September 2005 and ended in October 2005. Further construction stages for the extension of the fall protection systems would continue till 2013. All measures will be implemented by then. The project was undertaken by Dipl.-Ing. G. Steimann's "Baureparaturen mit Alpintechnik". He is a specialist in the field of height safety & alpine technique.
The monument in numbers:- Laying of the foundation stone: 18th October 1898
- Inauguration: 18th October 1913
- Construction period: 15 years
- Height: 91 m
- Height of the dome hall (internal height): 68 m
- Foundation plate: 70 × 80 × 2 m
- Number of foundation pillars: 65
- Total number of steps up to the platform: 500
- Width of the pedestal: 126 m
- Weight of all structural equipment: 300,000 t
- Number of natural stone blocks used: 26,500
- Quantity of concrete used: 120,000 m³
- Costs: 6 million gold marks
www.voelkerschlachtdenkmal.de
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