Prace konserwatorskie w budynku przy Marktstrasse w Quedlinburgu (NRD)

The plan o f the revival of the building at 2, Marktstrasse in Quedlinburg (GDR) was made according to the programme put forward by the investor and the building was to be inhabited. However, during architectural studies a number of interesting discoveries was made, because o f which the original concept had to be changed and the building was earmarked for public use, as only such a function made possible to display all uncovered elements. One o f the most important uncoveries were shooting openings found in the southern brick-wall at the height o f the first floor. Originally, the wall did not belong to any o f the buildings and represented the remains of the former murus forensis which made the first ring of town retrenchments. The use o f opus emplectum in the facing made from stone blocks speaks for its early dating (12th—13th century). When examining a complicated building-up o f the site it has been found out that the oldest o f the preserved buildings is an outbuilding coming from ca 1500 in which the beam endings in the overhanging are profiled in a way typical o f that period, i.e. with a pointed pear-shaped motif. In 1569 a pulled-down Gothic front building was replaced with the present Renaissance house. However, its decoration includes elements that were not generally found, just to mention the block framing and double arcades in which one can see rare Italian effects. It has also been found out that at first the building was 1 m. shorter on its northern side, just as „the sun” motif going into the wall was uncovered. These changes were introduced at the time when a high thoroughfare was closed down and an entresol floor was introduced, with the ground floor built up and only a narrow passage into the courtyard left. Soon after the erection o f the front house, the outbuilding I was put up, thanks to which the buildings, separate until then, were combined to form the entity. The building from 1893, which used to hold a bakery, and which was rather devoid of style, was pulled down. The most essential problem for conservators was to consolidate rather a weak construction. To this end, construction walls (U /2 brick wide) were executed from inside, with all elements o f the wooden construction set into it. Old wood was hardened. The wall introduced from inside made it possible to preserve original wooden elements seen from outside and also to undersling original tie-beams. With regard to the elevation, a compromise solution was adopted: the ground floor with well-preserved classicist-like framings o f windows and woodwork, rebuilt in the first half of the 19th century, was left unchanged, while the floors were restored to their original shape, easily noticeable thanks to a number o f genuine elements preserved. And thus, it was not difficult to read the course of the original listel as well as width and height of window orifices enlarged in the 19th century. The facade was left uncoloured, as it was difficult to reconstruct it properly. Natural colours of wood were kept: old elements were left in dark brown, while reconstructed elements had a natural colour of oak.