Lead roof

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Partial view of the lead roof on Cologne Cathedral

A lead roof is a roof structure with a roof skin made of lead .

Technical

Lead forms a patina and is therefore protected against corrosion . Since lead melts at a low temperature (327 ° C) and is very pliable as sheet metal, it is very suitable for processing with simple means. In particular, the roof skin can be sealed very well even with more complex shapes by folding and soldering. The disadvantage is the high weight and thermal expansion that occur in the construction, for. B. must be taken into account by short, folded strips so that the roof does not throw itself. Also creepsLead under its own weight, which is why it must be properly attached to the roof structure. Considerable material requirements can be expected depending on the size of the roof. Metal consumption of 17 to 35 tons of lead has been estimated for the lead roofs of 16th century Polish churches.

history

Lead roofs are already mentioned in written sources from the Middle Ages . Gregory of Tours mentions a lead roof of a pagan sanctuary (History of the Franks I 32).

In England the roofs of old churches are mostly covered with lead. In 2007, when lead prices rose to $ 3,000 / ton (2002: $ 500), 2,300 claims for lead theft were received by the largest insurer Ecclesiastical Insurance alone.

Well-known buildings that at least temporarily had lead roofs include the Aachen Cathedral , the Cologne Cathedral , the Cathedral of Saint-Denis near Paris and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. The lead chambers in the Doge's Palace in Venice , used as a prison, were named after the previous lead covering under which they were located.

Cologne cathedral

The roof areas of Cologne Cathedral take up over 12,000 m². They are covered with large-format lead plates with a thickness of 3 mm. The weight of the lead plates is around 600 tons.

Web links

Commons : Bleidach  - collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bloomberg: High price of lead attracts thieves to the roof, in Die Welt, February 16, 2008, page 21.
  2. ^ Dombauhütte - roofer. www.dombau-koeln.de, accessed on July 27, 2016 .
  3. ↑ a b Part one: The roofer from Cologne Cathedral. www.rundschau-online.de, June 5, 2007, accessed on July 27, 2016 .
  4. ↑ a b A masterpiece of medieval architecture. www.general-anzeiger-bonn.de, August 4, 2014, accessed on July 27, 2016 .