Paris (dpa) – The reconstruction of Paris’ Notre-Dame Cathedral, which was badly damaged in a 2019 fire, is finally ready to begin following two years of securing and cleaning the surviving parts of the building.
The tender process has now begun, meaning that rebuilding can start this winter, the public reconstruction company announced in Paris on Saturday.
The goal remains to reopen Notre-Dame, which means Our Lady in French, in 2024. To meet the schedule, the 1,000 oak trees needed to restore the spire and transept have already been felled. In addition, the experts charged with restoring the cathedral’s dismantled great organ have already been selected.
On April 15, 2019, the world-famous landmark on the Ile de la Cite, an island located in the Seine river in the centre of the city, went up in flames. The fire spread to the roof truss and then engulfed large parts of the medieval building.
The cause of the fire has not yet been fully clarified: A fault in the electrical system or a dropped cigarette butt could have started the blaze.
Dpa
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