Notre Dame restoration finally ready to start

The reconstruction of Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral is finally ready to begin following two years of efforts to save the remaining parts of the iconic structure after it was damaged in a 2019 fire.

The state reconstruction agency leading the work announced on Saturday that rebuilding will be able to start this winter, adding the goal to reopen the medieval cathedral for worshippers is still set for 2024  — the year France hosts the Summer Olympic Games.

The cathedral will be restored to its previous design, including the 96-meter (315-feet) spire, for which 1,000 oak trees have already been felled.

Before restoration work begins, a cleaning operation of the building's interior walls and floor will start this month. 

The experts assigned with restoring the cathedral's dismantled organ have also already been selected, the construction company said.

Millions spent on recovery 

French President Emmanuel Macron set the reopening target date shortly after the blaze on April 15, 2019.

The world-famous landmark on the Ile de la Cite — an island situated in the Seine River in the heart of Paris — went up in flames, stunning Parisians and tourists alike.

Securing the 850-year-old building has been a costly first step of recovering Notre Dame. The process, estimated at €160 million ($188 million), involved measures such as removing rubble and the stained glass windows, and checking the gargoyles.

French prosecutors have said the fire could have been started by a cigarette or an electrical malfunction, but the cause of the blaze has not yet been determined.

mvb/jlw (Reuters, dpa)