COVER STORY
In a national tour de force, France has achieved an almost unbelievable feat by resurrecting this historic cathedral in its capital city. This endeavour was initiated by the French President Emmanuel Macron, who, unlike the aforementioned mythical creatures, is not endowed with mythical power, but with plenty of worldly power. He declared the French to be a “nation of master builders” and made the reconstruction project a top priority: “Cinq ans!” Five years! This was the slogan that Macron proclaimed to the Republic and the world the day after the fire. A bold promise. France’s absolute will to perform the much-cited “miracle of rebirth” of Notre- Dame was irrepressible. And the planning of this miracle was, quite literally, meticulous. Material experts, historians and luminaries from the world of research, as well as the country’s best engineers, were happy to be recruited. The most knowledgeable craftsmen and skilled artisans of the “Grande Nation” were hired, and the straightest oaks were sought, found and felled in French forests. One superlative followed another.
Liebherr crane rescues apostle
If truth be told, Liebherr’s engineers are more than a little proud that the mobile cranes used in this unique project bear the Liebherr logo. They were important tools in the reconstruction of Notre- Dame. As early as December after the fire, two Liebherr cranes from the French company Montagrues arrived to erect the huge construction crane that has characterised the scene on the Île de la Cité ever since. And by the way, just a few days before the fire, a Liebherr mobile construction crane from Foselev’s fleet had lifted the mighty figures of the apostles and evangelists off the church roof for the planned restoration work – and thus ultimately saved them. Since spring 2022, the crane and transport company Dartus Levage has been responsible for mobile crane operations at the construction site. In addition to several smaller machines, two large LTM 1350-6.1s have extended their enormous lattice masts across the capital’s skyline. They supply the workers and scaffolders with materials over enormous radii of up to 80 metres and up to great heights. While wooden beams, blocks of stone or machines are typically suspended from the crane hooks, stone gargoyles, cross flowers and even statues are also transported back to their original places by air.
“La Flèche” for Christmas
The greatest lifting heights were required for the construction of the wooden crossing tower, which they rather elegantly call “La Flèche” here. It is the French word for arrow. The ornate spire reaches a proud 96 metres in height, towering far above the two stone towers of the church building. The mobile crane on the north side of the cathedral was equipped with a 78-metre-long luffing lattice jib for the assembly of its upper sections. Down on the ground, the men from Dartus went about their work. One of them is Christophe. He alternates with a colleague in the cab of the LTM 1350-6.1. On the south side, between the cathedral and the river, they and their crane are constantly ready to perform jobs for the craftspeople and scaffolders.
Crane Hub Magazine | 27
Powered by FlippingBook