Around 20 students from the bachelor's degree program Architectural Heritage Conservation took part in an excursion to Cologne on 18 June 2025. Led by Professor Voormann and Professor Duppel, the program included a guided tour of the Kolumba Museum and an inspection of the roof structures and crossing tower of Cologne Cathedral.

Building on a historic site: Guided tour of the Museum Kolumba

At Museum Kolumba, the students talked about the different time layers of the complex building and how they relate to each other: from the Roman settlement remains, the war-damaged Gothic basilica and the gem of the chapel built in the ruins to the museum building by Peter Zumthor that now dominates the site.

Many architectural features and carefully selected materials could be discovered in the Peter Zumthor building. A central aspect of the discussions on site was the critical examination of Peter Zumthor's concept of integrating and ultimately transforming the historical building with his new museum building.

Above the vaults: tour of the roof and crossing tower in Cologne Cathedral

Michael Bastgen, Technical Director of the Dombauhütte, then gave the group an extremely knowledgeable tour of areas of Cologne Cathedral that are otherwise inaccessible. Highlights of the tour, which lasted several hours, were the historic iron roof structure above the vaults, the breathtaking views from the inner triforium walkway down into the church interior and from the outer walkway through the buttress down to the city and the Rhine.

Important topics here were also the different periods and their building techniques - especially those of the 19th century, when Cologne Cathedral was completed - and the changing concepts of monument preservation over the course of time. The technical director of the Dombauhütte explained the wide range of damage to Cologne Cathedral to the students and showed them the restoration, repair and addition work carried out in different decades. However, he also addressed many other issues and challenges that arise on a daily basis when dealing with such a large and prominent monument.