Overview
- Crews removed the 4.88-meter, roughly 300-kilogram cross by helicopter from the 2,962-meter summit and hauled it to metalsmith Andrea Würzinger’s workshop in Eschenlohe.
- Specialists are stripping hundreds of layered stickers, sanding and repairing the surface, applying lacquer, and selectively re-gilding with 500 sheets of leaf gold costing about €1,500.
- The Bayerische Zugspitzbahn estimates overall restoration expenses in the low five-figure range and is aiming to reinstall the landmark for the start of ski season on November 28.
- Operators cite safety concerns after visitors stretched and climbed on the narrow, slippery summit to place stickers, prompting a push to change behavior.
- A second, smaller cross at the mountain station—installed as a sticker-friendly alternative—offers a safer spot for visitors while the 1993 Würzinger-built summit cross is conserved; the 1851 original remains in Museum Werdenfels.