Rescue for the Leienkaul Church: Roof renovation and solar upgrade!

Rescue for the Leienkaul Church: Roof renovation and solar upgrade!

In the small community of Leienkaul, the village church is facing a major challenge. The church, which was built around 100 years ago and has been continually maintained since then, urgently needs extensive roof renovation. As wochenspiegellive.de reports, the roof, which is covered with high-quality slate from the local Maria-Schacht slate mine, has suffered greatly in recent years and is now rotten. But that's not the only problem: the bell tower is also in need of renovation and is currently not ringing, which is causing a lot of trouble for community members.

The total costs for the necessary work amount to around 89,200 euros. The diocese of Trier contributes 60 percent, i.e. around 53,520 euros. But this leaves an unfunded remaining amount of around 14,000 euros, which must be financed from the municipality's own resources. The population is therefore called upon to support the project through donations. The church administration accepts donations into the account of the Holy Mary parish, whereby a donation receipt can be issued upon request.

A step towards sustainability

Another exciting aspect of the planned renovation work is the installation of a photovoltaic system on the church roof. This measure, which is being carried out in consultation with the Diocese of Trier, is intended not only to make a contribution to environmental protection, but also to reduce the church's maintenance costs in the future. Similar steps have already been taken at the Church of St. Vinzenz in Illerich; This was the first listed church in the diocese of Trier to have its own photovoltaic system installed. Karl-Heinz Gilles, the energy representative in Illerich, pushed forward this initiative and received support from the church community. According to bistum-trier.de, legal changes are also responsible for making the installation of PV systems on church roofs easier to implement.

Although there are some challenges, particularly with listed buildings, it shows that with the right permits and technical planning, much is possible. The photovoltaic system installed on St. Vinzenz has an output of ten kilowatts and was installed for around 33,000 euros, with the diocese of Trier providing around 10,000 euros from a climate fund. It turns out that switching to renewable energies is a forward-looking decision not only for private individuals, but also for churches.

The role of large systems

In the discussion about the use of solar energy on listed buildings, the German Foundation for Monument Protection also takes a look at the possibilities that large-scale systems could offer. According to denkmalschutz.de, such systems could represent a solution not only for individual churches, but also for residential complexes and public buildings. This form of energy generation could result in less effort and costs for maintenance and cleaning.

There are exciting times ahead for the parish in Leienkaul. We can only hope that the willingness to donate is high and that both the renovation and the installation of the photovoltaic system can be implemented as planned. This not only preserves the historical heritage of the church, but also contributes to a sustainable future.