12 minutes - magazine 02 | 2024

Chapeau la France!

The ghostly chimeras and mythical creatures that act as gargoyles on the towers of Notre-Dame de Paris are said to ward off the forces of evil and the devil. Legend has it that these grotesque figures protect the city and its cathedral on the Île de la Cité in the heart of the French metropolis.

Five years after the fire – Liebherr mobile cranes during the reconstruction of Notre-Dame

However, the stone sentinels were evidently powerless during the major fire on 15 April 2019, which destroyed large parts of the 800-year-old sacred building. The entire roof was consumed and the crossing tower on top of it collapsed, burning, into the nave, taking the supporting stone vaults with it. A short time later, reconstruction of the cathedral began with full vigour. And at the end of last year, a Liebherr crane completed the installation of the ornate crossing tower on the new roof truss. Our mobile cranes were involved in the reconstruction of Notre-Dame from the outset.

In a national tour de force, France has achieved an almost unbelievable feat by resurrecting this historic cathedral in its capital city. This endeavour was initiated by the French President Emmanuel Macron, who, unlike the aforementioned mythical creatures, is not endowed with mythical power, but with plenty of worldly power. He declared the French to be a “nation of master builders” and made the reconstruction project a top priority: “Cinq ans!” Five years! This was the slogan that Macron proclaimed to the Republic and the world the day after the fire. He claimed that the Gothic building on the Île de la Cité, the small island on the Seine in the heart of Paris, would rise from the ruins of the fire.

The LTM 1120-4.1 extends far beyond the nave. With its 19-metre-long, hydraulically adjustable double folding jib on the telescopic boom, the crane is able to transport its loads over long distances despite being positioned by the cathedral wall.

A bold promise. But even the pandemic could only briefly rob this proud national endeavour of its presidential momentum. Franceʼs absolute will to perform the much-cited “miracle of rebirth” of Notre-Dame was irrepressible. And the planning of this miracle was, quite literally, meticulous. Macron sent a former high-ranking general in the French army to the construction site as his special envoy. Top architects from all over the world provided designs for the reconstruction. Material experts, historians and luminaries from the world of research, as well as the countryʼs best engineers, were happy to be recruited. The most knowledgeable craftsmen and skilled artisans of the “Grande Nation” were hired, and the straightest oaks were sought, found and felled in French forests. One superlative followed another.

The light of the full moon and the brightly lit scaffolding gifted us – and the cycling photographer at the bottom of the picture – this atmospheric image. The LTM 1350-6.1ʼs 66-metre-long lattice jib is an impressive sight.

At the very edge of the building

Liebherr crane rescues apostle

If truth be told, we are more than a little proud that the mobile cranes used in this unique project bear our logo. They were and will continue to be important tools in the reconstruction of Notre-Dame until at least the end of the year. As early as December after the fire, two Liebherr cranes from the French company Montagrues arrived to erect the huge construction crane that has characterised the scene on the Île de la Cité ever since. And by the way, just a few days before the fire, a Liebherr mobile construction crane from our partner Foselevʼs fleet had lifted the mighty figures of the apostles and evangelists off the church roof for the planned restoration work – and thus ultimately saved them.

Scorch marks: In the summer of 2023, blocks of stone displaying traces of the fire were still hanging from the crane hooks in large nets. The LTM 1120-4.1 shown on the right retrieved this hewn ashlar from inside the cathedral. Two of these compact and manoeuvrable Liebherr cranes are in use here. The variable supporting base allows the vehicles to be set up within the narrow strip between the building and the site fence. And thanks to the adjustable VarioBallast® ballast radius, swivelling is also possible in this confined space.

Since spring 2022, the crane and transport company Dartus Levage has been responsible for mobile crane operations at the construction site. In addition to several smaller machines, two large LTM 1350-6.1s have extended their enormous lattice masts across the capitalʼs skyline. They supply the workers and scaffolders with materials over enormous radii of up to 80 metres and up to great heights. While wooden beams, blocks of stone or machines are typically suspended from the crane hooks, stone gargoyles, cross flowers and even statues are also transported back to their original places by air.

Four and a half years after the inferno, the spire of Notre-Dame rises into the sky once again. An LTM 1350-6.1 lifts the last section of the faithfully reconstructed crossing tower into the air. A few days later, it was followed by the cross and the gilded cockerel, which is now once again enthroned almost a hundred metres above the Île de la Cité. In its belly, it carries relics and a scroll with the names of around 2,000 people who were involved in the reconstruction of the cathedral.

“La Flèche” for Christmas

The greatest lifting heights were required for the construction of the wooden crossing tower, which they rather elegantly call “La Flèche” here. It is the French word for arrow. The ornate spire reaches a proud 96 metres in height, towering far above the two stone towers of the church building. The mobile crane on the north side of the cathedral was equipped with a 78-metre-long luffing lattice jib for the assembly of its upper sections. When the tower with its golden rooster and cross was completed a few days before Christmas last year, it wasnʼt just the men and women on the construction site who celebrated. For Emmanuel Macron, too, the completion of the exterior of Notre-Dame was reason enough to climb the scaffolding for a photo shoot high above the rooftops of Paris.

Meanwhile, down on the ground, the men from Dartus went about their work. One of them is Christophe. He alternates with a colleague in the cab of the LTM 1350-6.1. On the south side, between the cathedral and the river, they and their crane are constantly ready to perform jobs for the craftspeople and scaffolders. During a short lunch break, we invite Christophe and his colleagues to the neighbouring Rue dʼArcole. However, we donʼt have too much time to chat in a pretty bistro there. Over a small snack, the men explain to us that they have to change all their clothes and take a shower in an airlock whenever they leave the site, due to the high levels of lead behind the three-metre-high construction fence. And of course, the same applies when entering the construction site, which takes time. After a final espresso, itʼs back to work.

Reconstruction: Looking southwards across the Seine from the famous Marais district, the busy Liebherr cranes and their loads have been part of the silhouette of the two mighty stone towers of Notre-Dame for over two years now. The towers were largely spared from the catastrophic fire.

“The cramped conditions are a major challenge”

If you count the crane drivers and their “chefs de manoeuvre”, who are responsible for fastening the loads and manoeuvring the cranes safely on the ground, there are up to 16 Dartus Levage employees on the site on some days. “They are all needed,” explains company boss Victor Dartus, who travelled to Paris to install the spire. “We have to cover the staffing requirements from seven in the morning to nine in the evening in two shifts. After all, we used a total of seven mobile cranes here over the entire construction period. All from Liebherr, by the way. In addition to the two large LTM 1350-6.1 on either side of the cathedral, the four-axle 120-tonners were and are our most important machines here. They are perfect for this construction site because they can be moved very quickly and set up almost anywhere around the building. The variable supports and adjustable ballast make them extremely flexible.”

Victor Dartus: “Our mission has not yet been completely fulfilled.”

“Nevertheless,” continues Dartus, “the spatial conditions here are an absolute challenge for everyone. The complex and simultaneous interactions of so many participants on the cramped construction site result in major restrictions in terms of the crane parking areas. Itʼs always difficult to find optimal solutions. Setting up the cranes or changing the jib configuration without disrupting the construction work is often very complicated. But when we started here, everything was much more difficult because the safety precautions were very strict due to the lead contamination from the fire.”

Planned completion by yearʼs end

Liebherr cranes from Dartus Levage will be on display around Notre-Dame until at least November. If the work remains on schedule – and it looks like it will at the moment – the first public Mass will be held in the cathedral on 8 December 2024. Will one of the crane drivers be among the congregation? Perhaps. However, it fills everyone “with honour and pride to be involved in the reconstruction of this symbolic and world-famous cathedral.”

On y va – letʼs go. A glance at the watch is obligatory during our short photo session with crane operators Christophe (left) and Axel in a charming bistro near Notre-Dame. Time to get back to work.

At the end of the year, the men will presumably dismantle the last cranes and head home to the south-west of the country, where the companyʼs operations are focused. And so Christophe, Axel, Lyes or Paul will retract the boom of their LTM 1350-6.1 for the last time at this unforgettable workplace. “But our mission here has not yet been completely fulfilled,” says Victor Dartus. “Now we have to concentrate fully on our work. I donʼt think we can even begin to imagine what it means to work on this historically significant construction site. But in a few yearsʼ time, we will be able to look back with satisfaction on our contribution to this great endeavour.” The resurrection of Notre-Dame de Paris.