Rediscovery of the wall paintings

In 1887, tax inspector Wilhelm Klose discovered fragments of paintings beneath a later wall coating. Further areas were uncovered in the early 20th century. Revealing the figures did not, however, mean that the story they told had been recognised.

The first restoration took place in 1936. Repainting at that time gave some of the ladies and knights the appearance of members of the clergy. This misguided intervention also affected how the decoration's subject was understood. Conservation work in 2006-2007 belongs to a later phase in the paintings' care; their present condition is not simply the result of the pre-war treatment.

A project to document the tower digitally using laser scanning and photogrammetry began in 2025. It produces three-dimensional models of the building. Such documentation records both the geometry and appearance of a surface, rather than just a view of an individual scene. A digital model differs from a conservator's drawing or a photograph by relating the images to the shape of their architectural surroundings.