Category Archives: Weathering history

Forvitring av kleberstein på middelalderkirker – to videoer

Posted on August 17, 2017 by Per Storemyr

Sist vinter holdt jeg to foredrag om forvitring av kleberstein sett i lys av bygnings- og restaureringshistorie. Det dreide seg om portaler fra norsk middelalder og foredragene ble holdt på «Portalseminaret» i regi av «Domkirken 2025»; miljøet som nå restaurerer Stavanger domkirke og som jeg også er en liten del av. Alle foredragene fra seminaret (og mange andre interessante saker om restaureringen) er nå lagt ut på YouTube.

Kanskje kan mine to foredrag være til hjelp for folk som sliter med å forstå hvorfor kleberstein forvitrer. Veldig mye dreier seg om hva bygningene har vært utsatt for av forandringer og restaureringer gjennom tidene. Men noe av forvitringen kan også knyttes til steinkvalitet, tidligere luftforurensning og ikke minst vann! Rett og slett lekkasjer! Innholdet i foredragene er i stor grad basert på min gamle doktoravhandling “The Stones of Nidaros” fra 1997 og mange artikler om forvitringshistorie, bl.a. “Weathering of soapstone in a historical perspective”. Continue reading →

Posted in Monument conservation, New publications, Norway, Weathering history | Tagged conservation, historic photos, Kleberstein, Norway, soapstone, weathering | Leave a comment

Saltforvitring på kulturminner. Om enkel analyse av salt: Lag din egen kjøkkenlab!

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Per Storemyr

Over er det et bilde av noe du har sett tusen ganger før. Halitt! Vanlig koksalt. Natriumklorid. Ganske enkelt bordsalt. Havsalt! Havet inneholder jo noe sånt som 3,5% oppløst salt. Når pyttene i fjæra får stå i fred noen dager og sola skinner fra skyfri himmel, da lurer saltet seg ut. Sjøvannet fordamper og etterlater seg de fineste krystaller av ren halitt. Sånn laget man koksalt i gamle dager, handlet med det, kriget om det. For uten koksalt kan vi ikke leve. Kanskje fyrte man opp under brede kjeler med sjøvann for å få fordampningen til å gå raskere, kanskje kjøpte man salt fra store saltgruver på Kontinentet. Men prinsippet er det samme: Når saltholdig vann fordamper, da får vi krystallinsk salt. Men hva om du ikke visste at de fine krystallene i fjæra er koksalt? Og hva om du fant noe som lignet på disse krystallene på et ødelagt murmaleri eller en steinskulptur fra middelalderen? Hva gjør krystallene forresten der? Var det de som ødela? Hva gjør du da? Continue reading →

Posted in Heritage destruction, Monument conservation, New projects, Norway, Switzerland, Weathering history | Tagged Cultural heritage, Norway, salt, salt analysis, saltforvitring, Switzerland, weathering | Leave a comment

St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow – on a cold winter day 25 years ago

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Per Storemyr

I’m getting thousands of my old slides scanned at the moment. Since I’m not doing it myself, I reckoned that the “post-production” and archiving would cost me a few hours’, perhaps a day’s work. I was utterly wrong.

Posted in Monument conservation, Weathering history | Tagged historic photos, Moscow, St. Basil's Cathedral | Leave a comment

Standing at the edge of the abyss: The castle ruin at Cartatscha in Graubünden (Switzerland)

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Per Storemyr

Working as a conservation scientist I care for cultural heritage. My “problem” is that I’m also interested in the history of decay, including catastrophic events; just these phenomena that turn old masonry to rubble. But I’ve never seen it “live” … Continue reading →

Posted in Ruins, Switzerland, Weathering history | Tagged Cartatscha, Graubünden, historic photos, ruin, Surselva, Switzerland, weathering | Leave a comment

The Mauerzahn at Grünenfels castle ruin (CH) revisited after massive snowfall

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Per Storemyr

Ten days ago winter arrived in the Swiss Alps with massive snowfall. Subsequent temperature increase and intensive rainfall led to major floods, avalanches and destruction of infrastructure such as villages and roads. Such events sometimes also affect old buildings and … Continue reading →

Posted in Ruins, Switzerland, Weathering history | Tagged Graubünden, Grünenfels, ruin, Surselva, Switzerland, weathering | Leave a comment

New York Times: “Egypt or Central Park: Where Does an Ancient Obelisk Belong?”

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Per Storemyr

The issue of bringing Central Park’s Cleopatra’s Needle back to Egypt is still in the media. See this recent video from New York Times on the weathering of the New Kingdom obelisk: …and check out these blog posts of mine … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Monument conservation, Weathering history | Tagged Ancient Egypt, Cleopatra's Needle, conservation, New York, obelisk, weathering | Leave a comment

Cleopatra’s Needle: Egyptian concern about the NYC obelisk

Posted on January 10, 2011 by Per Storemyr

A few days ago Secretary General Zahi Hawass of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities expressed grave concern about the condition of Cleopatra’s Needle of NYC and even threatened to take the obelisk back to Egypt if care is not … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Monument conservation, Weathering history | Tagged Ancient Egypt, Cleopatra's Needle, historic photos, New York, obelisk, weathering | Leave a comment

A Mauerzahn at Grünenfels castle ruin (CH): Surviving 2011?

Posted on December 31, 2010 by Per Storemyr

Switzerland has a wealth of medieval castle ruins. In the Canton of Graübunden they are particularly numerous with, for example, the valley of Vorderrheintal (Surselva) displaying no less than about 50 ruins. Some are almost gone, others are kept in … Continue reading →

Posted in Ruins, Switzerland, Weathering history | Tagged Graubünden, Grünenfels, historic photos, ruin, Surselva, Switzerland, weathering | Leave a comment

Cleopatra’s Needle: Tracing obelisk weathering with old photos

Posted on December 12, 2010 by Per Storemyr

Historic photos are essential for research on monument weathering. With free internet access to archives, such photos are now easier to find than previously. Below, I will show the case of Cleopatra’s Needle, a famous Ancient Egyptian obelisk transferred to … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Monument conservation, Weathering history | Tagged Alexandria, Ancient Egypt, Aswan, Cleopatra's Needle, granite, Heliopolis, historic photos, London, Luxor, New York, obelisk, Paris, weathering | 11 Comments

Stone weathering at the westernmost coast of Norway

Posted on November 15, 2010 by Per Storemyr

As probably one of only very few monuments globally, the ruined Selja medieval abbey off the westernmost coast of Norway is built from a metamorphic olivine stone (dunite) rich in talc. The combination of a hard olivine matrix and soft … Continue reading →