Window frames of history

History shines colourfully through the windows of the small Vitraux d'Art Bauer & Rathmann studio in Mondorf. Restorer Daniel Steinbach carefully lifts a stained glass window he is working on. It bends slightly under its own weight, not much, but enough that it could sag if the restorer did not stabilise it with routine movements. The filigree mesh of coloured glass has to be cleaned centimetres at a time with cotton wool wrapped around a wooden stick. Small cracks are glued, faded painting is given new life. Preserving these sometimes centuries-old works of art is a job that spans generations, says restorer Steinbach: "I'm definitely more of a craftsman than an artist. It's a bit of both, isn't it? I am an artisan." He has been working in the family business in Mondorf since 2018, which has existed since 1891 and currently employs four people.

"There are very few young people learning this craft anymore, " Sandrine Bauer regrets. The art glazier has been running the company in the second generation since 2017, today together with her business partner Matthias Rathmann. "In general, crafts still don't have the best reputation in schools." In addition, the path to glass art, and restoration, often zigzags – and often leads across Europe. She herself learned her craft in Trier, even though her everyday work now takes place mostly behind a desk. After training as an art glazier in Germany, Daniel Steinbach made his way to Canterbury, where he discovered his interest in restoration while working on the cathedral. After completing a Master's degree in Germany, this time with a focus on restoring stained glass windows, he is now one of the few people in Luxembourg who breathe new life into these historic works of art – and does his best not to let them fall. "Sometimes it's quite a nerve-wracking job, especially when removing windows, " he confirms with a nervous laugh. "Sometimes the artists have used so much cement that it would really last for eternity. Removing that without damaging the glass or the frame is not always easy." An optimistic construction method of their predecessors, because realistically repairs are needed every 30 to 40 years.