Located in Szabadkigyos, in southeastern Hungary, Wenckheim Castle is an amazing historic structure, thought by many castle experts to be one of the most beautiful castles in the world. Erno Ovari of Copper Exclusive, a veteran European craftsman, handled breath-taking restoration work on the castle roof using approximately 11 tons of titanium zinc (0.7mm) , along with 1mm soft titanium zinc for some ornamental parts.
"We were responsible for the entire roofing remodel project," said Christina Lauritzen, CEO of Copper Exclusive, who handles contracting work in the United States, and is also a supplier of quality European-crafted roofing supplies. "Upon removing old ornaments, we found documents and money in the finials hundreds of years old."
Regarding finials, Lauritzen went on to say, "Perhaps no other decorative element on a home proclaims the good taste and individuality of the home owner like a finial. Finials are steeped in rich history. Old world Europeans used them as time capsules and placed in them money, treasures, and important historical papers about the owner, builder, city, and building. The world wars saw looting of many of these historical monuments, as invading Europeans knew their great intrisic and historical value.
"Finials were used in dramatic fashion to ward off enemies as sentinels on the battlements of the watchtowers, and were also used in humble funtions such as inhibiting pigeons from perching on the valuable roofs and depositing their pigeon mess thereon!
"Our finials are made the same way as those of the past. Each piece is lovingly and painstakingly placed together. The style of the building and the owner’s taste are always taken in to consideration."
Speaking of the Wenckheim Castle, she continued, "We installed the downspout brackets after first digging a 4" x 4" x 4" hole in the wall into which we poured molten lead then placed the bracket leg therein. Three layers of stucco (in total about 3 inches) were placed over the lead and the walls of the castle. We ensured all the recreated details remained true to their original design."
Due to the intricate nature of the work that was done, this beautiful project took two years to finish.
Erno Ovari's career in metal craft dates back to 1985, with experience in Germany, Austria, Hungary and Switzerland as well as 11 years of intensive education in this trade. He has achieved the degree of “Meisterbrief”, the highest contractor certification in Europe.