street and meet its caretaker's minster. next on d w. ah, we've got some hot tips for your bucket list. ah magic corner track hotspot for food chairs and some great cultural memorials to boot t w. travel off we go ah, this is actually a charge steeple party. it's also an athletic track.

as patina who sac explains, i've owned more than this is not truly for a person from oil. it's almost obligatory to take part in the minster towel iraq team. the goal is to get up here. i'm to come in 560 steps to a height of 102 meters in the most recent competition, a woman from alma did it in 4 minutes. 19 seconds. this is an amazing feeling. this is this wonderful old building. well, when you get up here, you have the most beautiful. here is a great feeling when you get to the telecom ah, the steeple of m minster is a wild racquel. at exactly 161 meters and 53 centimeters. it's the

tallest church tower in the world. around $1000000.00 visitors flocked to the minster each year. it's arm's most famous landmark, one of the most prosperous and powerful german cities in the middle ages. on the way down the tower runner calls on the tower warden every day. hey, did you run up the tower? yes. well he how was of florian cooper has also run up the tower. if others are, i found it to be a real challenge of fulfilling the wish you're alone with yourself and the tower and the effort you and it's really exhausting on the engineering. the last section really challenged me is logistic of me. the love of charlotte and chic liver florian compose one place is 70 meters above the city. the 60 year old is

a qualified engineer, but for more than 10 years he has been the tower warden at all minster. he says it's the best job in the world. even relate to lay hold of me that i live 300 meters from here as the crow flies for mine. and i can see own minster from my window. state die just stands there. an enormous powerful building lady the newfound by you come up from bavaria on the autobahn. no matter where you're coming from. this building stands in front of you like a fortress her via yes, i love that about it. this video as a disk, this fit me a good on. there had been tower wardens at the minster for centuries. the balconies were used to look out for fire, for advancing armies and to sound the alarm. the view from up here is marvelous. this is your oversight when i come up here in the morning, i am the 1st person to look out over my town is able to start on the shy of on my

and i say my town deliberately has gone through with this for thief. for now i see what's changing there with what's growing was vic was being demolished of what's being rebuilt on suddenly, and of course i have a sense of grandeur being so i of ohio thought orbits or so. but there's also somebody at the foot of the tower who enjoys the morning just as much m. o n st. eberhardt allah is the verger. it's his job to ensure the smooth running of them in stock. and i always get up at half past 5 on sunday mornings i'm here by half past 6. it's the best part of the day.

he's always the 1st to arrive. for him. the church is a spiritual away, says a place where he can recharge his bat trans. ah. as verger answered eberhart allah is something like the pastor's right hand. he gets everything ready for the service. that's why he doesn't wear overalls, but a suit. in addition to practical things such as unlocking the church and switching on the lights, he also prepares the altar. the 1st service of the day always takes place in the

quiet stalls to mind the whole school down. i know my job also includes taking care of the building is the minster teaches us humility. it's rather than pride. i think this space definitely has that effect even on ignorant people. only they leave the church differences from when they went ahead. undisclosed came v 70 guns and judge surfaces that being held in them. insta, for around $600.00. yes. demonstrations . i english will show an it guy minster probably doesn't care who works here. mark to, so have a stick. the main thing is to do it right. it would, i would never say it's my minister mine, you wouldn't hear that from me to service if a minute him a few meters above the choir, stoles, and st. eberhardt friedman. the minster musical director insists on playing the organ himself at the morning service. even when it's bitterly cold,

as he does this didn't hear, the organist said here in a bit of a draft for the smart, it's very noticeable mostly on the pedal heights down below we have pedal heating him, well, we have to retrofit the new organ with n for red, heating for the fingers, lots of us velva should come. we have to use clothes pegs, for instance. so that the draft doesn't turn the pages of the hymnals understand this, cuz i'm looking for them. even in midsummer it's never wall my than 15 degrees celsius in the 40 meter high organ long today it's barely 10 degrees. the enormous name is still empty. at 8 o'clock the choir stalls in front of the altar are sufficient for the 1st sunday service. ah

ah ah, the dean and gold lumps or minister? blessed be god who does not reject my prayer. his days has passed, i hear a number. he has been elected regional bishop. the pain of parting is mixed with a joy ah ish and fun. it's a wonderful space, a sermon in itself. it also preaches with the light, even if it's a bit overcast. like today, it's

a great gift to be able to minister in a building like this side of the open eye. the lord bless you and keep you, the lord, make his face to shine upon you and be gracious onto you. the lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you and give you ah dean goal shows us his favorite place in minster the shirts as i get to sewage differences, bonds that appeal to me depending on my mood. and if i want to have some peace and quiet, i go to the better chapel and see with its medieval stained glass windows many centuries old. noah's ark for instance, vase that such an image of hope that it feels good to be part of this tradition, or which one has a lot of options depending on one's mood than woman. so you enough that augustine,

to it the verger asked eberhardt allah also has his favorite spot in the minster. but to get there, you have to walk across the rafters above the nave. more than 40 meters above ground. it's the bell tower. there's one special bell here over 500 years old for centuries that has been rung by hand. once a year. when the cities man takes an oath that all the residence of the town shall be treated equally to day is just to rehearse all. oh, does this info,

as i know mine only billing status to this is definitely one of my favorite duties dumped. it would take a lot for me to have to send a substitute sheet. it would be terrible for me if i was ill wiggly, and couldn't do it myself, dot com, where that went to sniff malcolm good. all him was one of the 10 most important german towns in the middle ages. this town on the danube was a powerful trading hub and was immensely rich in the towns archives. the most important documents from the cities past, preserved, historian goodwin lids, takes us into the vault. here we see the original plan of the minster tower from the 15th century.

the drawing is on parchment. a church in the gothic style with space, but 20000 people at the time whom had barely half that many residence. but the burgers of the city wanted a really imposing judge and paid for it themselves. this momentous day cruiser spent here in oil. i nicea the residence of whom wanted to read the charge goes so they built one enormous parish church in a month. the town only had one parish church in and it had to be enormous in and call and of course a launch. church also needs a large tower when voided. the people of all wanted it to symbolize that power and wealth keon. the minster was originally planned as a catholic church, and the intention was to place as daniel, the virgin mary, on top of the spire. however, this plan was abandoned when home became protestant in the 16th century.

thus indie option among smith, these are the lists from 1530 in recording. the votes of the male citizens of wound up who were entitled to vote on whether you should convert to the evangelical faithful knocking club. 87 percent of the residents decided in favor of the new doctrine and try to teach ferdinand earlier. and so the catholic minster became a protestant church historian, good unless tells us what this meant and practical times. ready until then, the rich families of the city had embellished their minster with works of art. as was the custom with catholic churches, there was at least one private altar at each bela as many as 60 in the whole church . there were paintings and sculpture everywhere. the historian explains that rich patrons like to see themselves depicted in these works. a wealthy merchant couple

kneeling at the feet of gone or at this altar, which shows the family of jesus, the faces of those of the hoods, merchant, family. all of that had to go after the reformation. here stood a 50 meter high altar, but good for them. lit, tells us that it was destroyed in the zeal of the reformation. however, there was no general destruction of religious art in o that happiness be lost or people still think of the protestant reformation as iconoclastic. but here it took the form of what i would call an orderly removal of images that the town council gave the don't as the opportunity to take home. the works of art that had stood on their family alternately unfamiliar ideas done. however,

the changes of the reformation didn't stop throwing out paintings and altars. suddenly all forms of ostentation and the gothic style itself were frowned upon. the good protestants of own decided that 70 meters was tall enough for a church tower. mit dem bow a min stump. so, so for who to cost advice has been taken to stop construction work on the church to prevent enormous costs and the embarrassment of ridicule in. so we see it was decided not to complete the tower. i tossed up further construction. the reasons were not only financial lawson gothic architecture was beginning to go out of fashion. war on the residence of wound chose to stop construction rather than to continue being the subject of ridicule. the subject of ridicule before done by tucker spotted about you. but it women statement in bolingbrook i but today we see it standing there almost 162 meters high. some 300 years after the building

phrase. that was a gothic revival. the old plans were taken out of the drawer and the tower was completed. ornate flying buttresses, and arches were added. neo gothic in its purest home, with the historic building has also inspired stories. catherine shortest is an archaeologist and author the minster in spite hand to write a series of children's books in which a bat is the main protagonist. for the children of whom this gargoyle is lily long in the bat, from, or minster nodding there that we must letskowiz didn't. can you just leave? and sparrow would have been an obvious choice. every child here knows him. gleason

looked at, i've read too many stories about the sparrow, so i was looking for another creature, a needed one that not only explained the men hold it from the ground, but can also dive fly into the air to take a look at works of art up that i've seen almost every child in all knows her book because many children in elementary school learn about the minster from it. the archaeologist explains the church, his features, and its works of art in a way that appeals to children as sustained beth. it was that is almost the devil has bat wings just like me. she exclaims, and don't worry. he has dragon wings and the dragon has always been a symbol of evil. but that used to be the case for bath is too they were thought to be distant relatives of the devil, because bats only come out at night, not up t bad, but it's not only the people of whom who know and loved their minster. the church draws tourists from around the world. some $1000000.00 people visit own minster

each year and some $150000.00 of them climb that our. the minster is prepared for emergencies in this narrow space. your highness hoon is the head of the voluntary height rescue service. so good evening everyone. a warm welcome to the rescue service here at the main fire station will set out straight away to the minster. today will be practicing a rescue through the belfry shackleton craft for once a year. they train for a rescue mission in the minster town. with women, we felt a little bit after one

a day off about every 12 or 18 months. we have to go up to rescue someone's populace doesn't always result in transport through the bell chamber. madame. and if you walk up there with your eyes open and look at some of the tourists, you know, something's going to happen from time to time. it's pursued by delighted people don't realize what it involves climbing 143 meters, or whether they can do it. can you see people with 2 bags from the market, who then struggle up the tower in high heels or dressed too lightly or overdressed? i speak like you see everything gets alice. the rescuers are all volunteers and they have to carry their equipment themselves. right, i thought were going again hall they arrive at 70 meters. just impressing the interest in technology, the fun of working with others and above all, getting close to objects and buildings to which most people don't have access to

boy a construction crane, a large mill or television tower, bulk the minster. other people don't have access and we do, we can practice here and we're also doing something worthwhile that we're doing it for our fellow citizens. and it's altogether a good feeling and as to some, we'll just go through the on fire fighter has a special bond with the minster. he got married here and his son was baptized in the church. back to the height rescue. the 1st volunteer patient is held suspended over the belfry shaft law. jessica glazer is watching closely. she'll be next. and it's a 70 meter trunk. i know mic littlefield and the gap opens was and we dropped down 70 meters

remark. oh palmer alonzo. this could assume i knew the most critical point is the opening of the belfry shaft, named that when the lid is removed off and you feel the draft from below because the cool air then rushes up portland, that's when you realize, wow, i'm really going to drop 70 meter to ship to mid ordered. so for schools will do it. will you let me know a good time before you come through the next hall? yes. yes. we still have a meter made. everything's ok. so in middle then meters more intimate as to the next hospital so no to them it syntheses. look through it where through the hall

long some are slow down through long summer, low down with your call because here comes the chandelier guns. so then meet is to the next one. not quite keep lowering, so yeah, yes, i'm happy everything's fine. would rescue operations are also carried out in the construction site office. in this case, the patient is the minster itself. there are plenty of custom made span parts in

the yard. one of the men's to rescue us is emily class. he's a stonemason with a passion. he has been walking on the minster for some 35 years. out of his bulkhead sandstone, he's coughing a piece to repair, part of the tower with the goose does that is, you know, over this i have to work very meticulously. he formative foreman elbow to one for and i have to pass on the patterns in the process to the following generation to sleep. the. so that is as little falsification as possible. the training, i know designs one's own formal only replicas you as precise as possible. the minster is a permanent construction site. in the 1980s, chris saw the church briefly without scaffolding, but that was

a long time ago. the stone mason shows us a simple method using plaster bandages to observe cracks in the towers when you so this way though, if the crack continues to open the plaster, where we've marked the crack will break apart. later, maybe even half of it will fall off. and then we can see that there's movement of. ready that's how you keep a check on october. id, foreman is construction manager in charge of maintenance and restoration of or minster. her job is to conserve the monumental structure. she describes this responsibility as both the burden and an honor. this is vicky. it's like receiving a peerage. i can't describe it any other way. if it was a totally attractive job advertisement time and i just had to apply for it for them, it's good that it all worked out. it's something special. so currently the main concern is the tower. the construction manager is particularly worried about the

effects of climate change. we hadn't $23.00 hurricanes this year. 3 in row one and 3 down because of really heavy rain, like all of a large buildings or minster, has to cope with that of. and when you look at these stone formations, i'm how washed out they are, especially at the heights where we work and how they are eaten away. it's an enormous challenge for us is and see how eroded they are by appellation, which is not actually the main problem of more by the rain that lashes them when there's a storm. just recognizing what parts of the structure are no longer intact, that that's a big responsibility. he fondled him in this section. they've had to replace 30 tons of stone. that's no simple matter. in the case of a gothic building where each stone is important for the statics of the whole swapping stones has to be calculated and planned precisely. but despite all the challenges, every one here enjoys the work and privilege. it's

a privilege to be able to work here at all. that's one thing. and then the some reference involved. first of all, respect to all the people who have worked here before us and then respect for the building itself. i have great respect for all men started. it's an honor to be here . it's assign. mm. oh i

ah ah ah ah, with who on the road, with caravans along the ancient trade route, we discover a country between prefabricated buildings and 1001 night between nomadic tradition and modern life style oo discover.

because tom travelling the silk road by train in 15 minutes on dw, into the conflict zone. no sooner had president putin annexed for regions in ukraine, than his troops were forced to flee from a key city in one of them for humiliation wasn't lost on russian commanders. my guess is we come care of you who has your craft deputy head of the presidential administration. as you craig back to mr. newton into a corner where he might use his nuclear arsenal, conflict zone. in 90 minutes on d. w. o. in wide wing extremists, i suggested again world might be a couple of late in burned in south africa. people with disabilities more likely to

lose their jobs. independent, make black lives matter. shine a spotlight on racially motivate. my same sex marriage is being legalized in more and more countries, discrimination and inequality are part of everyday life. for many, we ask why? because life is diversity. to make up your own mind in d w. lead for mine's a ended go listening place along the mediterranean sea it's waters connect people of many cultures seen of almost rock and to far abdul karim drift along with exploring modern lifestyles and mediterranean. where has history left?

its traces meeting people hearing their dreams editor during this week, d w ah, ah, this is the w news live from the in the you agrees fresh trends against russia or it's a legal annexations and ukraine. brussels promises a tough response with plans penalties from moscow to include a price cap on russian oil. meanwhile, ukrainian troops re take more tara.