Franciscan monastery in Paderborn – case study

A masterpiece of art preservation in a historic setting

The challenge of preserving art in a historical context
The Franciscan monastery in Paderborn, founded in 1657, looks back on an eventful history. Despite secularisation, cultural conflict and war damage, it has retained its importance as a spiritual and cultural centre. The need to centralise and protect the monastery's extensive art collection presented those responsible with a complex task.

Innovative solutions for special requirements
The development of the painting storage facility required a high degree of creativity and technical expertise. The structural conditions of the monastery ruled out conventional installation options, so the idea of wall mounting between two walls was born. This unusual solution made it possible to overcome the structural challenges while respecting the historical character of the building. Beams over 11.5 m long and weighing 900 kg each were installed. Installation with supports of more than 40 cm in the historic masonry required the beams to be split and fitted with appropriate connections so that they could be joined on site. To make the work on site as easy as possible, ArtStore was able to prepare these components in advance at its factory.

How the experience of ArtStore and ArchiBALD helped
The many years of experience and cooperation between ArtStore and ArchiBALD were decisive for the high quality of the project in the Franciscan monastery in Paderborn. With 15 years of expertise in museum design and art storage, the two companies were able to carry out a precise analysis of the requirements and develop a tailor-made solution. Their technical expertise was particularly evident in the challenging wall mounting, which mastered structural challenges. This expertise led to a solution that is functionally and aesthetically perfectly matched to the historic ambience.

Read more in the PDF (Issue One, 2025, KulturBetrieb magazine)