Experts fear the decay of an excavation site under the baptistery of Aachen Cathedral.
"This excavation tells the city's history in a very striking place, so we have to take the time now and be careful not to disappear forever," explained Aachen's city archaeologist Andreas Schaub on Tuesday.
According to the diocese of Aachen, the heavy rainfall of recent months is the cause of the damage.
Under the chapel, a baroque building a good 30 metres in front of the cathedral portal, there were structural remains from Roman times to modern times.
For centuries, the finds under the cathedral would have survived time unscathed. According to the diocese, this includes foundations, floors and screed remains.
For archaeologists, the area that is not publicly accessible is an important showcase in the past.
According to the master of cathedral builder Jan Richarz, a worrying traces of disintegration have formed, especially in the past eight months: "Because of the strong precipitation and the permanently far too high humidity, the substance has dissolved so quickly since then that the layers can no longer be distinguished from each other."
Drained stones or sandstone dust on the floor of the site underlined the problem.
Prevent decay
In order to secure the area for the future, Richarz is working with Schaub and the Aachen Archaeological Working Group.
First, the excavation site should be cleaned. It will then be documented photographically, possibly scanned as a 3D scan and compared with old inventories.
This allowed possible defects in the inventory of finds to be identified.
Experts from the state authorities and the Rhineland Regional Association as well as the city's shelter are to later discuss structural interventions for long-term preservation.
Appointments were agreed. "We are now waiting, gathering insights and then thinking about what is best to save the historic showcase," Richarz said.