ERNE Kundemaurer renovate the ruins of Neu Schauenburg Castle
August 27, 2020
The medieval castle ruins of Neu Schauenburg in Frenkendorf had to be renovated due to several collapsed areas and breakouts in the masonry. The historic building from the 12th century is to be preserved. A suitable job for the ERNE customer bricklayers. They have the necessary expertise, patience and craftsmanship required to renovate the traditionally built structure.
Transporting materials by helicopter
The mighty castle ruins lie on an isolated rocky outcrop above Frenkendorf and Pratteln, with a small, modern pavilion from the 18th century standing in the middle. The structure is inaccessible to heavily laden trucks, with only a small dirt road leading nearby. The building materials needed for the renovation therefore had to be transported to the ruins by helicopter. The construction service team was then able to begin the renovation work in the area of the upper castle.
Customer masons produce suitable building materials
In order to preserve the appearance and antique design of the ruins, the material used had to match the building materials of the past. The recipes were determined by analyzing the walls on site. The mortar, for example, was produced directly on site according to a predetermined mixing recipe that corresponds to the composition of the medieval mortar. In the side area of the pavilion, the washed-out wall joints were freshly filled and a broken window with a wall arch was rebuilt. At the front of the pavilion, a dilapidated, crumbling wall that had partially collapsed in 2017 was carefully demolished.
A beautiful exposed wall based on the historical model using a "puzzle test"
The 4.5-metre-high wall was then carefully rebuilt from limestone in line with the previous historical wall design. Due to the different shapes and colors of the natural stones, they were laid out like a puzzle to create the visible area and combined in an appealing way. The stones were tapped into the correct shape with a hammer and then built up wildly. All the stones, including the imposing stone blocks of the wall crown, were set and laid by hand.
The aim was to achieve an irregular joint pattern, as was common in the Middle Ages. At that time, whatever material was available was simply used. The wall was secured with a white concrete bar that was invisibly offset within the walls. The renovation professionals attached steel plates from both sides outside the wall. An anchor was driven into the concrete beam from this starting point. This pulls the walls against each other and gives them the necessary stability.
Drainage of the forecourt against moisture
The customer's bricklayers then built the forecourt around the pavilion. Several helicopter flights were used to transport marl and chippings to the ruins, where the team installed them immediately. The ERNE crew sealed the area with a bentonite mat for drainage. Bentonite is a natural product that can absorb a lot of water and is extremely swellable. The water is drained away via coves and water spouts made of processed natural stone. These protect the masonry in the future and prevent it from storing moisture. The construction service team was supported in the renovation work by community service workers from the Stiftung Baustelle Denkmal foundation.
The ERNE Bauservice team is delighted to be making a contribution to the preservation of historic buildings with the renovation work on the ruins of Neu Schauenburg Castle.
Information on the Schauenburg castle ruins and their historical origins:
Archäologie Baselland
