Raising the cross onto the National Cathedral in Bucharest
May 5, 2025 | Susanne Winter
"The actual challenge behind the project lay less in the technical implementation and more in the enormous responsibility. The project involved two core work steps - firstly the dismantling of the revolving tower crane, which had previously installed the roof, and subsequently the installation of the cross onto the top of the cathedral," says Gabriel Puscoiu, the responsible operations manager at Felbermayr, outlining the project, which also received a great deal of media attention.
Seven-tonne cross hoisted to 120 metres
The newly manufactured cross measuring seven metres high and four metres wide for the national cathedral was brought to Bucharest around a year and a half earlier. Transport from the construction site warehouse to the cathedral followed in April by means of a Felbermayr abnormal load. The cross was loaded onto the vehicle using a 100 tonne crane and transported horizontally.
When it was unloaded using a 600-tonne crawler crane, the seven-tonne cross was placed in a vertical position and positioned on a foundation plate. Once the ceremony was over and the cross had been consecrated, it was time for the technical lift onto the dome of the cathedral. This lasted around 20 minutes. "We used a Liebherr LR 1600 crawler crane with a maximum load capacity of 600 tonnes and a total suspended ballast of 150 tonnes," reports Puscoiu. The crane was equipped with a 147 metre long main boom and a 12 metre long jib. Additional cranes and transport vehicles provided support for the complex process. It took around an hour to secure the cross.
The Romanian Orthodox Patriarchate awarded the contract to Felbermayr Romania. The client put a strong emphasis on precision and safety, given that the cathedral is a national and religious symbol. "The new cross now shines from a height of more than 120 metres thanks to precise planning," says Puscoiu, expressing delight at the successful achievement.
