Expert explains

“The French identify with Notre-Dame”

Julian Blunk, renowned art historian at the University of Graz, explains the immense significance of Notre-Dame.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Uni Graz, stock.adobe.com)

After five and a half years, Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris reopens on Saturday and Sunday - the French are celebrating in times of political instability. Can the cathedral unite them? Art historian Julian Blunk from the University of Graz explains the background and recalls the fire that he himself witnessed in France.

"Krone": Mr. Blunk, what makes Notre-Dame so special as a building?
Julian Blunk : Notre-Dame de Paris is not only one of the oldest Gothic cathedrals, having been built in 1165, but also marks the geographical center of the French capital Paris - accordingly, it is still considered by many to be the heart of the French state.