Erich Pummer, Curriculum Vitae

Erich Pummer was born in Krems an der Donau, Austria, in 1956. From 1972 to 1976, he studied to be a stone sculptor at the Higher Technical College in Hallein, Salzburg.

From 1977 to 1982, he was trained in the basics of monument preservation and conservation as a freelancer at the restoration workshops of the Federal Monuments Office in Vienna's Arsenal. This was the best opportunity to participate in the development, research, and application of conservation technologies at a time when there was still no university education in the field of stone conservation.

Meanwhile, he was able to continuously expand his specialist knowledge during study visits and further training seminars in Austria, Germany, Italy, and Egypt.

After founding his studio in Rossatz (Wachau) in 1982, he hired his first employees. Commissions for numerous prominent properties (Schönbrunn Palace, Melk Abbey, Dürnstein Abbey, Graz Armoury, Schallaburg Castle, Zwettl Abbey, St. Nicholas Russian Cathedral in Vienna, etc.) followed. In 1988, Erich Pummer passed the master craftsman's examination for stone sculptors in Salzburg so that he could also take on the training of apprentices as sculptors and restorers himself.

In 1993, the company expanded significantly, and a new studio building with modern technical equipment was constructed in Rossatz (Wachau). This was followed by intensive investment and development in new cleaning and conservation technologies (laser technology, vacuum technology), which also expanded the operational radius of the team—now grown to over 25 employees—to the surrounding European region and ultimately as far as Azerbaijan, Baku (UNESCO World Heritage Old Town).

In 2005, the sole proprietorship was reorganized into Atelier Erich Pummer GmbH. In 2009, the Austrian Chamber of Commerce also granted a license for stonemasonry, specializing in stonemasonry work on historic façades, sculptures, and monuments, including structural measures in the course of demolition and reconstruction work.

Collaboration on research projects, some of which are funded by the EU, in the field of developing and applying new conservation technologies, as well as interdisciplinary cooperation with foreign experts at international conferences, ensures that Erich Pummer and his team are always up to date with the latest developments. Due to his specialized knowledge, gained from around 50 years of professional experience, Erich Pummer is frequently invited as a guest speaker to subject-specific workshops, conferences, and presentations nationally and internationally. – Within Austria, but also to Germany (Berlin, Leipzig, Weimar), Italy (Padua, Treviso), Slovenia (Ljubljana), Spain (Madrid), Russia (St. Petersburg, Moscow), Romania (Tulcea), Poland (Torun), Croatia (Osijek) and Azerbaijan (Baku). In recent years, Erich Pummer has also been invited to serve as a guest professor at the University of Architecture in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Following the successful conservation of numerous art objects in Europe using the patented VKV vacuum technology, Erich Pummer was honored with the German Foundation for Monument Preservation's Grand Innovation Prize (Bernhard Remmers Prize) in Leipzig in November 2010.

Erich Pummer was already awarded the Innovation Prize of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce for the development of the VKV vacuum conservation technique in Wiener Neustadt in October 2010.

The reliability and consistently high quality guaranteed by the Erich Pummer studio are also the basis for the work that has been carried out continuously since 1997 on the landmark of Vienna and Austria, St. Stephen's Cathedral. The use of laser technology to clean the original medieval material, VKV vacuum preservation of sculptures and architectural elements, and the use of scientifically proven methods and materials form the basic requirements of the comprehensive restoration concept. Meanwhile, the conservation and restoration of the Albertine choir and the west façade, with its two pagan towers, as well as the work on the ‘Steffl’, the 136-metre-high main tower, have now been completed. The richly structured façades on the north side are currently being cleaned and conserved using lasers.

Initial contacts with the Republic of Azerbaijan on the Caspian Sea were established at the ‘Denkmal’ trade fair in Leipzig in 2009.

Following a convincing presentation of the working methodology, which was also reviewed by the UNESCO Commission, the Baku Old Town Administration (Icheri Sheher) awarded the restoration contract for the Mohammed Mosque, built in the 11th century, in 2010.

On the basis of this successful start, Erich Pummer founded an official branch of Erich Pummer GmbH in Azerbaijan in spring 2011. The Maiden Tower (‘Qiz Qalasi’, the landmark of Baku), which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and other important monuments and buildings with UNESCO World Heritage status were restored by Erich Pummer's proven team.

Erich Pummer's principle of focusing exclusively on quality, development, and the highest standards in monument preservation with his professional team has thus proven itself in the long term.