Refurbishment of the church tower: Ribnitz is desperately looking for 100,000 euros!

Refurbishment of the church tower: Ribnitz is desperately looking for 100,000 euros!

Ribnitz-Damgarten, Deutschland - The church tower of the St. Marien Church in Ribnitz has been equipped since September 2022. Urgent renovation measures are necessary because cracks have been determined that are deeper than originally expected. According to the pastor Susanne Attula, the costs for the renovation are now around 780,000 euros - a significant increase compared to the initial estimates of 410,000 euros. A planned completion of the work by May 2023 is not met, which is due to unpredictable crack sizes that required a difficult preliminary assessment of the construction period.

The work already completed included the renovation of the platform, which now has a new railing and handrail. In the future, the installation of an elevator for the viewing platform will also be planned. Nevertheless, the parish still lacks 100,000 euros in donations for the renovation, which is why the city and church district were asked for financial support.

benefit concerts for the procurement of funds

In order to collect the necessary funds, several benefit concerts are planned in the Marienkirche. The GDR cult band carousel will appear on July 20, 2023, followed by Giora Feidmann, who will offer klezmer music on August 30, 2023. The federal funds already approved in the amount of 262,000 euros are considered crucial support for the project.

In addition to these funds, there are efforts to make comprehensive building advice from the Evangelical Oberkirchenrat. The aim of this advice was a technical and financial assessment of the renovation measures. A complementary church report that was created in February 2023 examines the support points of the roof structure over the nave, the choir and the sacristy. A roof truss examination also had to intervene in the planning process.

report and financial support

These examinations, which were necessary to analyze the ceiling beam over the nave, could be carried out in early summer 2024. An expert opinion on the condition of the wooden components on the church tower has been available since September 2024 and is provided to design the future measures. The first donations for the church tower renovation had already been received by the end of 2023, which further supports the financing.

The parish also encounters the challenges in the financing by applying for funding from the "Foundation for the Preserving of Church Monuments in Germany". This foundation promotes measures to maintain and renovate church monuments and supports projects in a targeted manner if church -own funds are not sufficient. The funding is linked to various criteria, such as B. regular church use and civic engagement.

The parish of Ribnitz faces a decisive phase in the successful implementation of these renovation measures. The combination of public funding, donations and self-organized events could prove to be a key to success in order to make the St. Marien Church shine in new splendor.