Medieval churches in Lower Saxony

Ways of preservation and restoration
by Ursula Schädler-Saub
Regional cultural heritage routes, vol. 1
Petersberg 2000.
144 p., 197 images, among those 94 colored

The route starts in Hildesheim with a visit to the former monastery churches St Michael and St Godehard and continues via Braunschweig and its Cathedral. It takes the visitors to the collegiate church in Königslutter and, via the old church in Idensen and the former monastery church in Loccum, to the convent of Wienhausen with its nuns' choir.

Besides providing general information on the construction history of the monuments as well as providing useful tips for travelers, this concise guide is the first to demonstrate the variety of factors which have contributed to the contemporary appearance of these famous churches and their decoration. These monuments also testify to the reception and interpretation of medieval art during the 19th century, as well as to the purifying "re-restorations" which, as a reaction to earlier reconstructions, were undertaken during the second half of the 20th century.

Historical drawings, plans and photographs, together with contemporary documents on the monuments' construction history and restoration, demonstrate to what extent and in which form the historical restorations interfered with the medieval substance of the selected churches.

The cultural heritage route appeared in summer 2000, as volume 4 within the series of publications by the Hornemann Institute. Language: German