The obelisk, which suffered heavily during last week’s storm, has been removed from the roof of the town hall. — © rr
One of the two copper obelisks on the roof of the town hall was removed from the Grote Markt on Tuesday morning. The obelisk was wobbly last week during the heavy storm Ciarán.
A heavy-duty crane was used to remove the obelisk from its pedestal on the roof of the town hall. And that should not be surprising, because the obelisk is over six meters high and weighs around 500 kilograms.
The obelisk has now been taken to the studio of the heritage specialist of the city of Antwerp and is being dismantled. There is no damage to the obelisk itself. It is being investigated whether the inside and the elements to attach the column to the pedestal on the roof of the town hall are not damaged.
This investigation will take several days if no structural damage is found to the obelisk. In the other case, restoration work must be carried out and it may take longer before the column is back in place.
Both obelisks were thoroughly renovated for a number of years during the restoration of the town hall and were placed on the roof again in 2019. The 2 columns have stood on the roof of the town hall for centuries. pvdp
Tags: City Hall obelisk Experts investigate column suffered storm damage Antwerp
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