Historic church and consistory lifted for earthquake reinforcement
In the Dutch village of Overschild (province of Groningen), the golden rooster on the church tower temporarily looked out over the village from a higher vantage point. The reason? The 325-tonne national monument, owned by the Groninger Kerken Association, was straightened by 28 cm and then jacked up 1.5 metres.
This extraordinary operation was part of the national earthquake reinforcement programme led by the National Coordinator Groningen (NCG). The region has been affected by soil subsidence and earthquakes caused by decades of natural gas extraction, making structural reinforcement essential for safety.
The jacking created space to install a new foundation slab and earthquake isolators beneath the building—modern technology designed to absorb seismic shocks. The consistory was also temporarily lifted and structurally reinforced. After all the necessary work was completed, Bresser carefully lowered the church and consistory onto the new foundation.
Following the reinforcement, the church was restored by main contractor Bertil Sietsema under the supervision of Holstein Restoration Architecture. This effort preserves the 1880 church building for future generations and gives it a new role within the community.
