ABSTRACT
The Cologne Cathedral is one of the most significant cultural monuments in Europe. It receives a lot of attention from the public as well as from science. There are many publications about the architectural history, the building technology and the equipment attributes of the Cathedral available. The Prussian Cap Ceiling is a typical ceiling construction of the 19th century in Germany. The segmental arched built barrel vaults are clamped with steel girders between the abutments. By the use of industrially manufactured steel girders as abutment-rails, it was possible to build a solid ceiling with strict fire protection requirements. The interspaces above the choir chapels of the Cologne Cathedral, which are difficult to access, are covered with Prussian Caps. The extensive survey and damage analysis shows former execution errors. After researching the historic statics calculation it became clear, that the construction of the ceiling was only designed for its own weight without any payloads.
