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Spain to inspect top monuments in light of Notre Dame blaze
16/04/2019
MINISTER for culture José Guirão has announced a full health-check on Spain's main monuments in light of the fire which devastated Paris' Notre Dame cathedral on Monday night.
Although the cause of the inferno which engulfed one of Europe's best-loved visitor attractions is not yet known, Spain wants to exercise caution in case the blaze was due to integral factors of the structure, such as the electrical wiring or even wooden elements exposed to glass in direct sunlight.
Guirão says that whilst Spain's cathedrals are 'in theory' protected against any such disaster, the government wants to 'try to avoid these types of tragedy'.
"The most potentially-dangerous element is old electrical installations, so we need to check these and take extreme care in our reconstruction efforts, because one person's slip-up could provoke a tragedy," Guirão argues.
For Notre Dame, the tragedy was in the destruction of the cathedral itself rather than human - all visitors were evacuated immediately.
The main structure itself has been saved, as well as the artefacts of major importance inside, although the tallest spire crashed down in a dramatic explosion of flames, and most of the roof was reduced to ashes.
Parisians, tourists, expats and students who witnessed the disaster say they wished they had not had to see it, and hundreds of onlookers were in floods of tears.
Elsewhere around the globe, anyone who has ever visited or lived in the city is broken-hearted at the horrendous incident.
Guirão says he will contact his counterpart in France, Franck Riester, to offer 'any help necessary' in the reconstruction.
"Although the French have plenty of resources, Notre Dame is a symbol of the European Union, of art and culture, an extraordinary and universal monument, and we should all be there to support the French through this," Guirão says.
Numerous other Spanish politicians have sent their condolences to the French government, including Spain's president Pedro Sánchez who called it 'a catastrophe for France, Spain and Europe'.
"The flames have wiped out 850 years of history, architecture, painting and sculpture. It will be difficult to forget this. France can count on us to help it get back the greatness of its heritage," Sánchez tweeted earlier today (Tuesday).
Foreign affairs minister Josep Borrell said: "Paris has survived war again and again, and it's devastating to see such an important part of our historical heritage in Europe, the land of cathedrals, being lost in flames. Paris is a huge chapter of my personal life, and I share the pain of the French people."
The Royal Household tweeted its support for France and the people of Paris, saying that it 'is with and will be with' the country and that it was confident that Notre Dame would 'rise from its ashes'.
French president Emmanuel Macron has announced an international appeal for funds to restore the cathedral, which he says will take about five years.
Giant French corporations including L'Oréal and Louis Vuitton Moët-Hennessy, international firms such as Apple and the petrol company Total, and some of France's wealthiest families including the Décaux, the Bouygues and Mexican actress Salma Hayek's husband François-Henri Pinault have donated eight- and nine-figure sums towards Notre Dame's reconstruction.
At the time of publication, France's richest and international companies had helped the pot to swell to €750 million.
The above photograph was posted on the ministry of culture's Twitter site (@culturagob) by José Guirão.
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MINISTER for culture José Guirão has announced a full health-check on Spain's main monuments in light of the fire which devastated Paris' Notre Dame cathedral on Monday night.
Although the cause of the inferno which engulfed one of Europe's best-loved visitor attractions is not yet known, Spain wants to exercise caution in case the blaze was due to integral factors of the structure, such as the electrical wiring or even wooden elements exposed to glass in direct sunlight.
Guirão says that whilst Spain's cathedrals are 'in theory' protected against any such disaster, the government wants to 'try to avoid these types of tragedy'.
"The most potentially-dangerous element is old electrical installations, so we need to check these and take extreme care in our reconstruction efforts, because one person's slip-up could provoke a tragedy," Guirão argues.
For Notre Dame, the tragedy was in the destruction of the cathedral itself rather than human - all visitors were evacuated immediately.
The main structure itself has been saved, as well as the artefacts of major importance inside, although the tallest spire crashed down in a dramatic explosion of flames, and most of the roof was reduced to ashes.
Parisians, tourists, expats and students who witnessed the disaster say they wished they had not had to see it, and hundreds of onlookers were in floods of tears.
Elsewhere around the globe, anyone who has ever visited or lived in the city is broken-hearted at the horrendous incident.
Guirão says he will contact his counterpart in France, Franck Riester, to offer 'any help necessary' in the reconstruction.
"Although the French have plenty of resources, Notre Dame is a symbol of the European Union, of art and culture, an extraordinary and universal monument, and we should all be there to support the French through this," Guirão says.
Numerous other Spanish politicians have sent their condolences to the French government, including Spain's president Pedro Sánchez who called it 'a catastrophe for France, Spain and Europe'.
"The flames have wiped out 850 years of history, architecture, painting and sculpture. It will be difficult to forget this. France can count on us to help it get back the greatness of its heritage," Sánchez tweeted earlier today (Tuesday).
Foreign affairs minister Josep Borrell said: "Paris has survived war again and again, and it's devastating to see such an important part of our historical heritage in Europe, the land of cathedrals, being lost in flames. Paris is a huge chapter of my personal life, and I share the pain of the French people."
The Royal Household tweeted its support for France and the people of Paris, saying that it 'is with and will be with' the country and that it was confident that Notre Dame would 'rise from its ashes'.
French president Emmanuel Macron has announced an international appeal for funds to restore the cathedral, which he says will take about five years.
Giant French corporations including L'Oréal and Louis Vuitton Moët-Hennessy, international firms such as Apple and the petrol company Total, and some of France's wealthiest families including the Décaux, the Bouygues and Mexican actress Salma Hayek's husband François-Henri Pinault have donated eight- and nine-figure sums towards Notre Dame's reconstruction.
At the time of publication, France's richest and international companies had helped the pot to swell to €750 million.
The above photograph was posted on the ministry of culture's Twitter site (@culturagob) by José Guirão.
Related Topics
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