ABSTRACT
Strong moisture in brick masonry may be due to many causes. The most important ones include floods and lack of or improper performance of damp insulation. In some cases, brick masonry reaches the state close to full water saturation. The influence of water saturation of brick masonry on its mechanical properties is heretofore a little-known issue. The chapter presents the results of research carried out on masonry columns cut out of a building erected in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The building is located in a historical complex of barracks of Archduke Rudolf in Cracow. In the course of renovation, a part of the building was earmarked for demolition. The compressive strength of the brick masonry in the water saturation state was from 5% to 40% lower than the strength of the masonry in the air-dried state.
